Fading Echoes
by Happyritas
Summary: "Ekka, don't you want to play with the other kids?" Jean asked as she entered the room where Ekka had been hiding away, only staring out a large window. "No thank you..."
1. un

**Chapter One:**

Lioness. That's what Father named her. Ekka hardly enjoyed the title, and the skin-tight costume that made her feel like she was going to die of asphyxiation at any second.

The act was hardly a pleasant one either. She absolute despised it. It was a cruel act to her friends, making them into mere pets when they should be in big packs in the wild. They deserved more than just jumping through hoops and being lead into circles. Ekka hated how they treated them like dogs — how she had to treat them like dogs.

There was clapping. It sounded excited, which had been her cue. The clowns stepped into the back tent as she exited through the entrance doors. The bright stage lights made her shrink back, squinting. "May I present to you, Lioness, the Lion Tamer!" More applause. It was louder this time. So loud, it shook her very bones. Ekka would have ran back into the room had she not been afraid of the punishment she would endure from Father even more.

She scurried out, her gaze trained on the floor, which was decorated in several colorful swirls and also popcorn thrown out from the audience. Definitely not the friendliest bunch then.

She easily made it to her lions, whom had still been in their cages, staring at the crowd with lazy, beady black eyes. Ekka exhaled, and opened up the cage. She reached out with her ability, easily able to find their minds. Come, she commanded, waving to herself.

The animals easily got up, trotting over to Ekka eagerly. The crowd ooh'ed at her, as she brought them to the crowd. " _Say hello,"_ she whispered, but her microphone clipped on her shirt picked her voice up. In response, the lion's roared, and the crowd screamed and cried in applause.

Ekka turned, going to the center of the room, and patting the side of her leg as a order for them to come as well, which they did. Picking up the hoop she had stashed to the side, she held it out, " _Jump_." The lions answered, bounding through her hoop easily. Again, the crowd clapped, but it wasn't enthusiastic as the first cheering. They had gotten bored now. They wanted something interesting.

Father must have noticed because he began to speak again, "Lioness will now make the lions walk across a tightrope!" The crowd gasped and Ekka looked at Father, surprised. He had brought up the idea once, but she thought he meant it as a joke. Lions don't — no, _can't_ — walk across a tightrope, so she never trained them on it.

Two stagehands came out and set up a small tightrope that was a foot or so above the ground. It was high enough to allow the animal to step unto it, but nowhere near as thick to allow them to actually walk.

Ekka looked back up at Father, who was smiling at the crowd. She saw him glance her way, and in that single gaze that couldn't have lasted more than a second, she saw fury.

Ekka struggled to breath, her heart jumping in her throat. "C–Climb," she stammered, her mouth and her powers not quite matching, so they merely stared at her. The audience jeered at their lack of significant movement, throwing popcorn at her. Their complaints rising in her ears, making her inability to breathe even worse.

"Now, now, I'm sure they just need a little... Encouragement," Father's voice — although sounding cheery — made chills run down her spine. She knew she'd get several lashings for this later.

" _Climb! Climb! Climb! Climb...!"_ The audience chanted, their voices ringing in her ears. She wants to curl in on herself and hide away from them, but knew that wouldn't solve her predicament.

Ekka swallowed the knot in her throat, " _Climb_ ," she said, now much more firmly. The lions complied, one stepping unto the small platform that could only fit about one foot at a time, and stepped forward.

Almost instantly, they fell, slipping off as if it were made of oil. The crowd of people laughed and mocked the lions who were frustratingly trying to step unto the line. Ekka could feel their anger of not being able to walk and confusion of the situation, and it pained her with every second.

Had Father not standing where he was, and her not being the center of attention, which she loathed, Ekka would have sobbed right where she was. Instead, a stray tear leaked down her mauled, scarred cheek, but she quickly wiped her face before anyone could see.

~•~•~•~

Just as she thought, Ekka recieved ten lashes that evening dealt by Father, which represented the ten people who had left during her act. Then, she was sent back to the lions cage, where she slept, ate, and spent her free time.

The lions had been sleeping, far too weary from their act earlier to greet her, and she didn't argue. Lying beside one of the biggest ones, she joined them and began to rest her tired, post-adrenaline body.

"Is that not dangerous?" Ekka jumped to her feet, quickly hiding behind one of the other lions who had been sleeping lazily, not bothering to even look at her, even with her sudden movements. "Don't be afraid, I will not harm you." Ekka was shaking, she knew Father would get in trouble if someone caught her sleeping with the lions. That meant he'd take his anger out on her and she would—

"I assure you your father will not find out, nor will he harm you because of it," the man continued. Her eyes widened, how had he known that!? "I can read minds. For example, right now you were scared your father would be cross with you for sleeping with the lions. Like I said, he will not find out."

Ekka still hadn't moved from her hiding place, but it wouldn't do much good since he knew where she was. "You can come out, you know. I wasn't lying when I said I wouldn't hurt you." She didn't move an inch, and when he realized she had no plans on moving either, he spoke again. "My name is Charles Xavier, and this is Hank McCoy. We want to take you to a place far away from here where you'll be safe. Would you like that?"

" _No_!" She gasped, but not moving from her spot, "No! I _cannot_ leave!"

"Why not?" Charles Xavier asked. He sounded stunned with her outburst. "I know your father is treating you horribly. You'll be much safer were I'm taking you."

Ekka sank farther behind the lion, who now had looked at her because of her sudden loudness. "I... I cannot..." She mumbled, looking apologetically at the lion who was trying to sleep. He hit her in the upper arm with his tail annoyingly, and fell asleep again.

"Would you rather live the rest of your life in fear here, Ekka? Do you not wish to be free of this prison?"

Ekka was silent for a second, then she replied. "I... I _want_ to be free — everyone here does — but I cannot because if I try to leave he will punish someone else because of it. I cannot allow him to do that. I cannot... I do not want anyone else to die, Mister Xavier."

"I will prevent that from happening," he said. "Nobody else will get hurt."

"You cannot promise that," Ekka whispered.

He somehow heard her soft voice and said, "I believe I can, Miss Ekka. I will be back tomorrow, and by then you and every other child here, will be free." She heard the almost inaudible sound of wheels rolling away mechanically, before it stopped. "Oh, and please, call me Professor." And then, he was gone.

~•~•~•~

Ekka could hear Father shouting and swearing loudly the next day. He was angry, _furious_ even, and she noticed he was coming her way.

Ekka wanted to hide, but knew she had nowhere to go, so she sank into the side of her favorite lion, Frais. It was a weak attempt of hiding because he found her easily. "Ekka, get out here. _Now_ ," he demanded, his voice tittering on rage. Like a branch with too much weight and would snap even if the smallest of feathers were to land on it.

Ekka scurried out, noticing the all too familiar whip he carried for lashings, and gulped. "Y–Yes, Father?"

He pulled out a sheet of paper, with lines and lines of words on it, but it looked like nothing to her since she couldn't read. Ekka knew that reminding him of this would be a ill move on her part, and just raise the amount of lashings she would receive. Or, maybe, he'd make her give herself her own punishment, like holding her breath until her vision flashed red, or sticking her hands in a bonfire.

He backhanded her, and her head flew to the side, and she fell to the ground. Ekka was shaking, she could feel tears prick at the corners of her eyes, but knew better not to let him see it. Expressing weakness would only make Father angrier.

"Listen to when I speak, brat!" He hissed, picking her off the ground by the back of her shirt like a lioness would her cubs, except he hardly as caring as they usually were. He shoved the paper in her face, "This is a release form, sayin' I have to give you over to a orphanage and then pay a fine of _two thousand_ _euros_!" Ekka stared at him in fear, her eyes widening. "Who did you talk to last night!?"

"I–I—"

"Did I _tell you_ to stutter!? _Who_ did you talk to!?" His face was red with anger, and Ekka began to cry.

"A–A man," she sobbed. "His name was–was _Charles Xavier_! I'm so sorry, Father! I will not disobey you again, please don't—" he dropped her, and she fell on her behind roughly. She tried to curl up into a ball, but Father grabbed her arm, pulling a lighter out of his pocket, and handed it to her.

Ekka could feel him in her mind, like a snake slithering up a tree, and she shuddered. "Lit it," he ordered. Ekka was sobbing, as her hand betrayed her, and she lit the lighter. A bluish flame came out, dancing in the wind, but not dying because of it. "Put your finger in it."

"Pl–Please, Father!" Ekka begged. She heard the lions growling and roaring at the man, but couldn't do anything because of the cage.

"Now!" Ekka put her index finger in the flame, screaming in pain as the nerves burned, and the skin around it turned black and crispy. After nearly ten minutes of slow roasting her finger, Father finally allowed her to stop.

Ekka was completely drained afterwards. Her eyes dull and bloodshot. She couldn't move. "I want those lions tightroping by dawn tomorrow or else your losing another finger."

After receiving her lashings, which had been surprisingly minimal pain wise compared to her finger, Ekka was sent back to the cage.

The other lions crowded around her, in a way to comfort her, and she couldn't help but smile. She raised her good hand to pet Frais' furry mane. He laid down, and Ekka sat beside him. The day was rather chilly, but because of his thick fur, he provided her with warmth, along with all the other lions who laid beside her, acting like living heaters, allowing her to sleep soundly.

~•~•~•~

"Are you alright?" A familiar voice asked, and Ekka jumped. She saw the man in the wheelchair, except, now he was in her cage, at the end. Ekka asked the lions to move, which they did, and allowed him to roll in.

"I apologize," she whispered once he was close enough. "I told Father that you... You came."

"No worries," he replied. Ekka studied him. He had a shiny bald head, and a black suit with matching pants. Ekka could see a light blue collared shirt underneath with a fancy tie. Yet despite his serious expression, he looked rather young, maybe in his late-thirties. Beside him was a man with causal attire, jeans, a plain shirt, and a jacket because of the chilly weather. He wore rectangular glasses on his face and smiled warmly at her, which made her look away.

"Are you alright, Ekka?" Charles asked, his voice sounding worried.

"Yes... I am," she muttered, pulling her hand to her chest.

"You don't have to lie, child," Charles said. His voice was soft, but also stern. He wanted her to understand that she really didn't have to lie to him, but she barely knew him. Lying would be much better than completely consenting to wherever he wanted to take her.

The other man, she supposed he was Hank, came up to her, holding a red and white kit in his hands. Ekka instinctively moved away, staring at him. A lion behind him growled lowly, but she calm him down easily. "He is not going to hurt you," Charles assured. "He wants to help your hand."

Ekka looked at the two of them charily, before finally showing him the burnt finger. Hank's eyes widened, " _God_..." He muttered in English, staring at it.

The skin on the finger was shriveled and blackened, and seemed to harden and crack in different areas. It had began to swell as well, Ekka thought that maybe it had become infected while she slept.

Hank set the box down and opened it, pulling out several bottles and tubes. Ekka sat down beside him, allowing him to use his medicines on her damaged finger. "Do you still wish to stay here, Ekka?" Ekka looked away. "He burned you—"

 _"I_ burned _myself_ ," she whispered. "I _deserved_ it. I shouldn't have tried to escape... I've been given worse punishments."

"You shouldn't be getting _any_ punishment," Charles said softly.

"I do not want anyone else to be punished like I was," Ekka explained.

"That's very humble of you, Miss Ekka. But, as I said last night, I will say again: Everyone will be leaving. As in, the circus is going out of business. The other children will be sent to different orphanages, your father will be sent to prison for animal and child abuse along with many other crimes. You can go to the orphanages with everyone else, or you can come with me, and we'll take you somewhere safe."

Ekka thought on his words, "Where will my friends go?"

"The animals? They will be taken to other zoos across the world since they are too domesticated to go back into the wild."

Ekka nodded, "Will they be safe too?"

" _Very_ safe."

"And–And they'll be fed? Because Frais gets angry when he doesn't get enough food. And Velu will want to fight him, but since I'm not there, nobody will know how to stop him. And Singe will start trying to climb over the other lions if he gets bored, so keeping him busy will be best, and—"

"I'm sure the zoos will figure that out when they receive the animals," Charles Xavier laughed. "Are you coming?"

Ekka looked at him, then at Hank, who had just finished wrapping her hand up. "Yes. I will come," she said, and Charles grinned.

 **UPDATE:**

 **Okay, thought should explain this AU a little, because it's kinda confusing me how I want this try to go, lol.**

 **This is post-Apocalypse, meaning Jean and Scott are young, and Prof. X is bald. But, I really—really—need Logan to be in it too. So, basically, Logan came to the School after the Apocalypse incident. Kind of like the first movie, but it's kind of just behind the scene things. Logan will probably be a teacher. Yeaaah.**

 **It feels really weird having to explain this because of the Days of Future Past movie is making things complicated for me to explain! Ugggh. Whatever.**

 **Sorry if this is confusing, tell me if it is and I'll try to explain it more—and probably make us both confused, but whatever.**

 **I'll see y'all next time, and remember...**

 **Don't melt~!**

 **~ Happyritas OOO**


	2. deux

**Chapter Two:**

"Ekka," Charles said. He had an amused smirk on his face as Hank helped her down from the jet. Her knees felt weak, and her arms gripped Hank's arm, her nails embedding themselves in his arms. "Are you alright? I hope the plane ride didn't scare you away."

"Ah, no, I–I..." She stammered quietly. "I–I did not know, uh... I—"

Hank chuckled, "Don't worry," he assured. "Everyone's first plane ride is different." She nodded absently, stepping into the platform that the jet rested under.

"So... Are we at the school you spoke of yet?" Ekka asked carefully, and Charles smiled at her.

"We are. In fact, we're underneath it. Some of the students should be on their break around now, actually. Maybe we'll be able to see them," he said, pressing a button on his wheelchair to roll forward with Ekka and Hank closely behind.

"Will I have to speak with...?" Ekka asked, hesitantly.

"If you are not comfortable with that, then no, but you'll have to speak to your classmates at some point, Ekka."

" _Oh_..."

"And, you'll have to speak English as well," Hank said. "Although there are a handful of students who are taking World Language classes, not many of them speak French like you do."

"I do not know much of the English language," she admitted, embarrassed. "I can understand it, for the most part, but I cannot speak it very well..."

"That's fine," Charles said. "I'm sure we can find a student who can interpret for you." Soon, they had made it to a big set of doors, and Charles pressed a button on his chair, making the doors slide open.

Inside were several students walking, or running, down the halls, all heading for different exits. Ekka looked at the crowd of students with wide eyes, watching as their gazes turn to her as well. She could hear cliques of friends staring at her with curiosity. They whispers to one another with intrusive questions.

 _"A new kid?"_

 _"Who's she?"_

 _"What's her powers?"_

Ekka wanted to turn around and run back to the jet, demanding that they'd take her back to the Circus. Anywhere is better than here at the moment, not being stared at or questioned. Their stares reminded her of being back on stage at the circus. If she didn't start performing, Father would surely give her lashings later!

"Ekka, this way," Charles beckoned, and she turned to him, he was motioning down the hall and had been waiting for her. Ekka scurried over, keeping her gaze trained on the ground, refusing to make eye-contact with any of the other students. "Now, here at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, we try to strive to give our students the best education and academic opportunities as we can. You'll be given the same classes as the other children your age. If they feel too hard for you, then we can also lower them, or have one of the other students act as a tutor and assist you in your studies." Ekka barely listened as he continued to drone on about the school, and began to look outside one of the grand windows.

It showed a large yard that was a bright green with wildlife. Even with the loud halls, she was able to hear the birds chirping in the air and squirrels scurrying up trees. A few groundhogs were burrowed underneath big trees, as were a few harmless snakes as well. She saw a red robin fly towards the window, and the stop, staring in her direction, and cocked its head as its wings fluttered, holding it up.

" _Ekka_?" Ekka snapped her head around to see Charles looking at her, a small smirk grazing his thin lips. He had rolled farther away, and she noticed that she had just been standing there, staring off into space.

"I–I am sorry," she apologized, and hurried to catch up with him.

"Don't be," he replied. "I will have a schedule for the school day made for you and should be done in maybe an hour or so." He watched as a taller student walked by, obviously an upperclassmen. " _Vera_ ," the girl turned around.

She had brown hair with red highlights at the roots, and wore a purple sweater whose sleeves went past her hands, but had been scrunched up to keep out of her way. She also wore jeans-shorts, which would've contradicted the other warm attire, and matched the chilly day in early November, but she had black leggings on underneath, effectively providing the warmth it needed.

She came over and smiled a bit at the man. Charles turned to Ekka as he said, "Ekka, this is one of our students, Vera Masters. She, too, has the ability to control animals. I'm sure you'll get along finely." Then, he turned to Vera, "I believe you are taking a French language class, yes?"

"Yes, I am," she replied in English. Her airy voice held a bit of a Mediterranean accent to it that Ekka recognized as Italian.

"Great. Ekka is from France and doesn't speak much English, so she may speak a few French phrases as well as English ones," Charles explained. "Would you show her around the grounds? I'll make it as extra credit in your French class because of it." Vera's eyes lit up at the sound of extra credit.

"Of course," she grinned, grabbing Ekka's hand. She stiffened, wincing as she accidentally squeezed her burnt finger, but didn't want to be rude and pull her hand away, so she simply bit her tongue and looked at the ground.

"Great," Charles smiled. "I'll call you back here once I finish, Ekka." The girl gave a small nod, and the man rolled off with Hank behind him.

"C'mon. If you're an animal psychic like me, you'll definitely wanna go outside first," she said, and Ekka barely had the chance to say anything as she dragged her outside.

~•~•~•~

"And here we are!" Vera smiled after leading her to a opening in the large yard, finally letting go. Ekka could feel the animals everywhere. Had her fingers not been throbbing in pain, she would have smiled. Instead, just absentmindedly nodded, cradling her abused finger to her chest.

"Well?" She turned to the girl, who had been really absorbed in her finger. "What do you think?"

"I... I... I like it," she whispered, looking down. Speaking English always made her upset with herself because the language was so complex that she had a hard time speaking it half the time.

"The animals are amazing here, no?" Vera plopped down on the grass. Ekka didn't move, and only stared at her. "It's so calm here... So peaceful... I hate it." Ekka blinked, not expecting this from the brunette girl with such a relaxed tone, it was as if had just asked for the time.

"Why?" Ekka asked, very confused.

"I mean, why this?" She motioned to the large land. "I get to control birds and squirrels, which isn't any good if I'm up against an enemy and I don't know how to take over, like, a bear, or somethin'." She sighed, turning her head to look at my feet. "What about you, kid?"

"I... Do not control animals," she whispered.

"Eh? Speak up, I'm not a mind reader."

"I do not control animals," she repeated a little louder. "I talk to animals."

"Same thing," she shrugged, "C'mon, I'll show you the rest of the campus, you're gonna love it." Vera grabbed her arm, dragging her away from the peaceful scenery, and back on the path to the huge school.

~•~•~•~

Ekka met a lot of people while she and Vera roamed the school grounds. She met some of the other students, and Vera allowed her to speak in French and translate for her. Most of the kids were Vera's friends, like a girl name Tara who could move water, or a Russian girl named Mercy who could heal animals, but she would receive the injury in the process. That ability irked her, but the girl explained how she also couldn't feel pain because her nerves were damaged when she was young, and she was incapable of physical feeling pain afterwards.

After they had explored the exterior and interior lay out of the school, Vera took her back to Charles Xavier's office, about a little over an hour later.

He was sitting at his desk, speaking with a man. Charles stopped in the middle of his conversation, "Ah, yes, Ekka. I do have your schedule and your books." He moved back to go into his desk and retrieve the papers.

The other man glanced at her. He had gruff features — a overgrown beard he didn't care on shaving, ripped muscles, and dark eyes that looked angry for some reason. Ekka knew that these rough features usually came with several scars as well, but he bore none that she could see.

"Why are ya starin' at me, kid?" The man asked gruffly, his voice a deep baritone that rumbled in his chest. If she didn't know better she would have mistaken it for a growl.

She adverted her eyes elsewhere, however, looking now at the intricately-plated tile flooring. "Here it is." Charles Xavier took out several sheets of paper, four thin, hardcover books, and handed it to Vera. Vera took the papers, but gave Ekka the heavy books to carry, and she didn't complain. "Be sure to read this to her, and make sure she remembers it."

Vera nodded, but looked a bit as confused as she was, "Why can't she read it, Professor? I mean, it is her schedule." Then, Ekka blinked, suddenly remembering something very important, and her cheeks felt hot.

She tugged on Ekka arm lightly, "C... Can we go?" She whispered so only the girl could hear, but of course, Charles heard as well.

"Yes, you are dismissed," Charles said, waving her away. Ekka hurried out of the room while Vera read the papers to her.

"Let's see... You have Mr. George for homeroom, then Mr. Gill for second period, an—"

"Where do I sleep?" Ekka asked, cutting the girl off.

"Uhm..." She flipped through the pages a little, "Room 18 on the second floor."

"Can we go there?"

"If you want, sure," Vera shrugged, changing their route toward the south side of the building where the staircase was. "Anyways, for third period, you have..."

~•~•~•~

Vera led Ekka to her room, and the door had been unlocked. The room wasn't small, there was a twin-sized bed near the wall and a nightstand beside it. On the other side was a large drawer for clothing. On the opposite side of the room was a desk and her closet, which had a lot of unused hangers already there for her. On the side of the wall, to the left of the bed, was a mirror, and a large window that had a seat on it. It showed a great view of the yard with the small pond, and several trees. She could see the kids walking back towards the large school for their next class, talking to their friends or just walking quickly, silently, and lonely.

"Wow, nice view," Vera said after there had been a short silence between them. "Wish my window was like this. I only get the trees and then a glimpse of the road." Vera turned back to her paper, "Well, I pretty much went over everything you needed. Your next class should start in about ten or so minutes, and that's with Mrs. Kenny." She patted Ekka on the shoulder, and the girl flinched, backing away. Vera gave her a strange look, "I'll be going then. I'll see you later, kid." She flashed Ekka a two fingered wave, before retreating out wooden door.

Ekka stared at the door for a few seconds, before setting her books in the desk, then moved to sit at the chair in front of it, thinking. She began to wonder what was going on in the Circus, and if Father had realized she left yet. Did he punish someone because of her? Would he? Was coming here the best idea? She... What if he finds her? Would he find her?

Ekka shuddered at the thought and decided to turn her mind elsewhere. She began to wonder how Frais and Velu were when suddenly, there was a loud bang on the glass window.

Ekka yelped, jumping out of the chair to hide under the table, peeking over the side to inspect the source of the sound. A small greenish, yellow bird had ran into the window, and now fell on the sill below. Ekka gasped, running over, and struggling to pry the side of the window open.

Finally, it released, and she scooped the small bird up. It fluttered in her hands, it's right wing bent at an awkward angle. She could feel it's pain, and it made her sick, tears rising in her eyes. "It is going to be okay," she whispered, trying to dart around the room, looking for something — anything — she could use to help the bird. Unfortunately, her room wasn't equipped with a animal-first aid kit.

What was she going to do!? She thought frantically. Then, she remembered Charles Xavier, he'd know what to do!

Ekka ran down the hall, but realized too soon that there were masses of people coming the opposite way. She squeaked in surprise, holding the injured bird close to her chest, and began to force her way through the crowd. Eventually, she made it to the other side, which had been fairly empty, and began to run again.

Ekka looked down at the bird. All this moving was making her a bit dizzy. Ekka gave her a apologetic smile, there wasn't much she could do on that. She began to run again, she could hear the small bird squeaking in pain, and she frowned. "I'm getting you help, do no—"

She crashed into a large man, her hands releasing the bird. Her eyes widened, "No!" She subconsciously reached out with her mind, trying to connect with the bird, but instead, connected with the large man.

'Save her. Save her. Save her. Save her...' was drilled into his head. Suddenly, he jumped, catching the fragile bird in mid air, and fell to the ground easily, protecting her.

Ekka stare at the man in shock, and the man seemed to be just as surprised as she was. "What the h—"

"Ekka," she whipped her head around to see Charles Xavier looking at her with concern. "Why are you running? Is something wrong?"

"I–I..." She stammered, and turned back to the man who was holding the injured bird. Catching unto her gaze, he opened his palms to see the small bird fluttering in his hands. Ekka gently scooped her up and presented her to Charles. "Mr. Xavier, she crashed into my window and I did not know what to do. She was crying and she is hurt an—"

"Why are you speaking French?" The man behind her asked, but his question was ignored.

"Slow down," he said. "You said she hit your window?"

"Yes," she nodded. "I–I do not know how to help and I do not want her to die and—"

"Take the bird to Mr. McCoy. He'll help her. Go down that hall and take a right, it'll be the third room on your left," Charles instructed. Ekka nodded, about to run again, when he grabbed her arm, "No running in the halls, Miss Ekka." She looked down, embarrassed, but began to walk — very quickly, that is — and following his directions.

Hank's classroom had been luckily empty, and she walked straight in. He was sitting at his desk, writing something, but looked up when she came in. "Mr. McCoy, Mr. Xavier sent me to you," she explained before he could greet her. She showed him the bird in her hand, which had thankfully still been living. "She flew into my window and she's hurt. Can you help her? Mr. Xavier said you would."

"Yes, of course," Hank replied, pulling his chair back to take something out of one of the drawers in her desk. Ekka recognized it as the first aid kit he used on her after Father burned her the other day. "Set her down," he ordered after taking a few tissue papers and laying it out on his bed.

He began to expertly examine her wing, and Ekka stared at him with anxiety and concern. He glanced up at her, "Take a seat, Ekka. We'll be here a while."

~•~•~•~

"All done," Hank said, twenty minutes later. The bird's wing was properly wrapped, "It was broken pretty bad, so it definitely won't be flying for at least five or six weeks." Ekka nodded, getting up from the desk. The entire time, she was speaking to the small bird, keeping her calm and coaxing her to not panic.

"Thank you, Mr. McCory," Ekka said quietly, exhaling. Now that the bird had been safe, she felt depleted of energy.

"Well, it's class time now, which is where you should be." Ekka blinked, then remembered Vera's warning about how her next lass started in ten minutes, which had been twenty minutes ago! "I'll write you a pass so you don't get marked late, but try to stay on schedule."

"R–Right. I am sorry, I was not watching the time an—"

"Don't worry," he smiled, handing her a slip of paper. "You might want to head off now, though." Ekka nodded, placing a finger for the small bird to hop onto, which she did.

"Thank you again, Mr. McCoy," she repeated.

"No problem," he smiled, "And please, call me Hank." Ekka gave another nod before quickly walking down the hall.

~•~•~•~

Mrs. Kenny, who happened to be a maths teacher, hadn't been pleased that she was late, but overlooked it because of what had happened concerning the bird. After a rather confusing class where she taught the students long division — Ekka didn't even know what that was — they were sent to their English teacher, Mr. Walker.

Mr. Walker had been nice to Ekka, favouring her since she couldn't read English — she could barely speak it as well — and taught her the basic formation of words and letters. He has asked her to spell something in French, her native language, when she was having issues reading it, and he had been mildly curious. Then, she explained that she couldn't read French either, which brought up the awkward topic of if she could read anything, which was no. He decided to talk to Charles Xavier at a later time and decided to keep her on learning the English alphabet.

Ekka was relieved to hear that his class had been the last class of the day, meaning she was free to go back to her room. As she brought together the books she was given by Charles for her classes, she noticed a few of the students — boys and girls alike — had crowded around her.

Ekka sank into her chair as one of the male students stepped forward, "Hi, I'm Henry, what's your name?" He greeted, holding out his hand.

"E–Ekka," she whispered, barely loud enough for him to hear. She didn't take his hand.

"That's cool!" One of the girl exclaimed, and Ekka looked at her hands that were clenched around her books. She didn't like how they were staring at her. She felt like she was at the Circus again.

 _Make them dance_! Father growled in her ears, _make them sing! I want the audience to be entertained, not asleep!_

"So!" A different girl perked, "What your power? Is it animals? I love animals they're so cool and—Ow!" Someone had hit her in the arm.

"Shut up, Faith! You're making her cry!" Ekka blinked, feeling her cheeks which were indeed wet. She felt the small bird on her shoulders, poking its thin beak at her cheek gently.

"I am sorry," Ekka whispered, trying to get out of her chair, hardly remembering to bring her books. The crowd of children parted, allowing her to leave the room quickly.

~•~•~•~

By the time Ekka made it to her room, she was completely exhausted. After the long plane ride to the school, exploring the mansion's grounds, saving the small bird, and having to spend two more hours in classes, she felt like she was going to faint at any second.

Ekka stumbled to her bed, setting the small bird on the nightstand before collapsing on the bed. Ekka was surprised when her entire body sank into the mattress, as if she were sinking into the earth.

Ekka scrambled off the bed, startled and staring at it. She had never slept in a bed before, now that she thought about it. She only slept in the animal's cages, and before that, on the floor of the trailer along with the rest of the kids and Fira.

As soon as the name emerged in her mind, she shoved the thought away. She definitely didn't want to sleep on something that would consume her whole while she slept, so she decided that the floor would be much better.

She stripped the covers off the bed, laying them on the floor. Then, she took the casing off one of the pillows, and created a makeshift nest for the tiny bird. She easily rested her inside of the nest and smiled.

"I apologize for the busy day," she whispered to the bird, who chirped in response. "I hope it will not be as bad tomorrow." Ekka paused, "I suppose I haven't named you yet, have I? Do you have a name?" She shook her head, no. "Okay. I guess I will give you a name. How about..." She was quiet for a few seconds to think. "Flutter. The English word, Flutter. Since I found you here, in America. Do you like that?" The bird chirped loudly in a proud agreement.

"Great," Ekka smiled, "Allow me to rest, Flutter. We can play more tomorrow." Ekka laid on the bare pillow and wrapped herself cozily in the blankets, falling asleep quickly.

 **Man, I love X-Men.**

 **Fun fact: I started watching X-Men movies when the first came out on VHS (yes, those existed, I feel old). I had to be, like, five or six—I realize how much violence I was exposed when I was little, wow. We used to watch them all the time, and a few years later, we got the first three movies all together, and that was amazing, lol.**

 **Fun Fact #2: My favorite is the second one, lol.**

 **Quick question, doesn't relate to the story at all: Did anyone else watch the original cartooned version of X-Men on like Nick and Nicktoons? I think it still comes on, actually. Those were the best. That episode where Kitty Pride (Shadowcat) and Kurt Wagner (Nightcrawler) were sick was my favorite. Man, I loved her growing up. I thought she was the coolest person ever lol.**

 **Sorry, I'm rambling. I'll get back to writing, and I'll see y'all next time. Remember...**

 **Don't melt~!**

 **~Happyritas OOO**


	3. trios

**Chapter Three:**

Ekka was surprised to see that it was dark out when she woke up. She glanced around the room, finally spotting a small, digital clock on the nightstand. **11:51 PM.** Ekka blinked. She had slept the entire evening away.

She had been feeling better now, she supposed. Ekka bent down, Flutter cocked her small head at her. Ekka could sense that she had been tired from just waking up as well. She smiled, "Good morning, Flutter," she was giving a small tweet in response. Ekka held out a finger, and Flutter graciously hopped on, clamping her claws around so she wouldn't fall off.

Ekka placed Flutter on her shoulder and stood up. She opened the door as proceeded down the hall. As expected, the halls were empty, since all students were sleeping or up late studying a textbook. Ekka walked by them, her mind thinking on something else, like what to do now that she had been up.

Her first thought was to go feed the lions as well with the other animals, a regular chore she had back at the Circus, but realized that there was no need, since there hadn't been any lions to feed anymore.

Ekka sighed, a pang of loneliness striking her chest. She knew she was surrounded by children her age now, but didn't quite know how to interact with people her age like that. The children her age at the Circus always treated her with scorn, copying after the adults who would do the same. The only friend she ever had was Fira after all, but...

Ekka stopped moving, looking at the ground. Fira. She had almost forgotten about her. She left her there, when she left the circus. She... She hadn't even given a second thought about her. Tears formed at the corners of Ekka's eyes, her lip quivering, but she quickly wiped at her face, looking away. Flutter pecked at her cheek with a small chirp, and Ekka smiled, rubbing the small bird on the head.

"Shouldn't you be asleep?" Ekka started, swiveling around as well as jumping back. Her eyes widened when she saw a familiar man. It took her a few seconds to realize it had been the man from earlier who saved Flutter.

"I... I..." She stammered, her eyes darting back and forth.

"What time is it, kid? Doesn't 'Avier give you kids a curfew or something like that?"

"I–I, uh, I... Uhm, j–just woke up," she stammered, bringing a hand to comfort Flutter, who had been rather startled by the sudden movements. She hadn't realized that it had been the hand that was her injured one until the man suddenly grabbed it, his large fingers easily closing in on her small wrist.

"Why is your skin _burnt_?" He asked. With his built stature and gruff voice, he probably didn't mean to seem demanding and intimidating, but Ekka couldn't help but feel threatened.

Ekka yanked her hand away, cradling it to her chest. "I–I am sorry, Father," she said automatically. "I will not do it again, I—" she stammered, trying to step back. Suddenly, her finger felt like it was aflame again, even though it was nowhere near a fire.

' _Ekka, do not be alarmed, Logan will not hurt you_ ,' a voice in her head echoed. She jumped, staring at the man, but he hadn't spoken a word. ' _Remember when I told you I could read minds? It's me, Professor Xavier_.'

"Look, kid," Logan began, carefully. "I don't know what you mean by that, but trust me, I'm _not_ your dad. I don't care if you're up late at this point, but if you're planning on doing something, then keep me out of it." The man pushed past her, and Ekka watched him with wide eyes as he strode down the hall, and soon out of sight.

 _'I know the time zones were different where you're from, but in order to get situated with ours, I suggest you go back to sleep_ ,' Xavier said once the other man had left.

"Y... Yes Mister Xavier..." She murmured, her hand still shaking. She slowly made her way back to her room, which had taken much longer than because her steps had been slower and significantly more sluggish. Ekka stopped in her tracks before she opened her door. "Mister Xavier?"

' _Yes, Miss Ekka_? _You do not have to speak aloud_.'

"I... Are your powers like Father's?"

' _From what I know, he too had been psychic like myself, but not as powerful, so yes. We do share the similar abilities. It's not uncommon, but it is a bit rare for there are not many mutants with the same, specific telepathic ability_.'

"So... Will you give me punishment like Father did?" Ekka asked slowly, "Will you make me hurt myself?"

Xavier's voice in her head went silent for a few minutes, and Ekka had thought that he was ignoring her, but then he replied. ' _I believe we need to speak in person, Miss Ekka. Would you mind meeting me in my office_?'

"Yes... I–I mean, no, I..." Ekka stuttered, turning back around as she tried to remember the way to his office once more. It wasn't long, however, and soon, she found herself standing at the office doors where Charles had been sitting in an advanced wheelchair. Ekka remembered the little manners she had and opened the door for him, following behind his chair into his office.

"Miss Ekka would you please take a seat," Xavier said, motioning to a chair. Obediently, Ekka sat, staring at him quietly. Several questions ran in her head, but most of them being why he wanted to talk to her in person instead of just in her mind.

Ekka had felt a different presence in her mind many times in the Circus, which had all been by Father when he was punishing her, or just wanted to 'play'. It was by no means pleasant or comfortable, but she didn't understand why Charles Xavier — who had the same ability that Father had — hadn't been treating her the way Father did. He could make her do whatever he wanted her to do without breaking a sweat, but... He didn't, at least not yet.

After being treated with ignorance and resentment all her life, Ekka didn't know what to do when someone like Xavier was actually treated her... Kindly. She didn't know what to say, much like how she didn't know how to react when the children in her class were trying to befriend her so suddenly. It didn't seem right to Ekka; it didn't seem natural. Instinct told her that he was faking it all, but her heart told her that he truly cared.

"Miss Ekka, I would like to ask what did your father do to you exactly during your time in the Circus?" Xavier said, and Ekka stared at him. "I apologize if this seems insensitive, but it's rather important."

"Well... He was Father. He did what a ' _father_ ' would do, I suppose. He taught us how to perform. He made sure we were at least fed. Not a lot of us died, so that was good. And—"

"I'm sorry, I don't think you're understanding my question," Xavier interrupted, leaning towards Ekka. Ekka shivered, for some reason feeling very nervous now. "Do you understand what a father is?"

"... I–I think," she frowned. "A ' _father_ ' makes sure you learn, and when you are not, they enforce it."

"And by enforce you mean..."

"Punishment, of course," Ekka shrugged. "Father was gracious to us. I usually got lashings but, sometimes when I was very bad, he'd make me give myself punishments so that I would learn."

Charles Xavier stared at Ekka before moving closer to her and gently taking her hands in his. Ekka jumped at the touch, trying to look away. "I truly don't know how else to put this. Ekka, your father was _not_ a good father. _No father_ should punish you for being naughty. Yes, you should be scolded when you do something wrong, but this," he held up her bandaged finger and missing pinkie. "This is _wrong_."

"I know it is wrong," Ekka replied, confused. " _I_ was wrong, therefore I was given a punishment."

"That's not a _punishment_ , that's a form of _torture_. There's nothing you could have said or done to justify something like that. So, when you asked if I would torture you like your father did, the answer is no. _Never_."

Ekka stared at him, confused, "But–But you can control minds! Why would you not—"

"Because I'm not your father, Miss Ekka," Xavier explained. "And unlike him, I don't condone violence. Not here, not anywhere." Ekka didn't say anything for a long time. Instead, she focused her attention on her bare, dirty feet, as she digested his words. "Do you understand, Ekka?"

"Yes, Mister Xavier..." She murmured, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable. It was her fault they needed to talk about this. If she had never asked then this wouldn't have—

"Miss Ekka," Ekka jumped, almost too lost in her self loathing to remember she was in the same room with Charles. "I believe we need to establish something. Your father was abusive, and living at the Circus wasn't a safe environment for you or any other child there. Had we not talked about this earlier, then you may not have understood this."

"Yes, Mister Xavier..." Ekka mumbled, looking at the ground, disheartened.

Charles gave her a look, "You aren't in any trouble, Ekka."

"Okay..."

"Really," Charles insisted, then he straightened, smiling. "Tell me, Ekka, what was your favorite part about France?"

Ekka blinked, looking at the man, "Why? I–I mean, not to be rude, but—"

"I'm curious," he smiled warmly.

"Oh... Well," Ekka scratched her knotted hair. "When I was little, I... Lived near a bakery, and every morning they baked fresh bread. It–It smelled very good..."

"Did you ever try it?"

"No. The baker would always hit me when I tried to take the bread out of the—"

"The baker would ' _hit you'_!? Xavier exclaimed, shocking Ekka.

Ekka stared at him, gripping the sides of her chair. Flutter fluttered in her shoulder, her wing grazing Ekka's cheek. "I–I..." She felt cornered again, Ekka sank further into her seat, a feeble attempt to hide herself away.

"I apologize, Ekka," Xavier said, "I didn't mean to frighten you. What did you mean when you said he would ' _hit you_ '?"

"... Uh..." Ekka twisted her fingers. "If he caught me trying to take the bread out of the trash he–he would hit me... He used to say that ' _street urchins like me make his customers disappear_.' He... He was not very kind..." Xavier stared at the young girl with pity and it made her feel uncomfortable, then, he sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "I am sorry."

"What for?"

"I am giving you a headache..." Ekka whispered. It was so feeble and meek that Charles couldn't help but chuckle.

"Trust me when I say _you_ aren't the cause of my headaches," Xavier assured. "But, I believe it would be good if you went to go see a teacher to speak to about this." Xavier pulled a paper off his desk, and began to write on it.

"What do you mean?" Ekka asked, confused.

"I would like for you to see a children's therapist," Xavier explained, then handed her the paper. "I don't want you keeping all this to yourself. It's not healthy."

"I don't understand," Ekka said, taking the note that she couldn't read. "What is a therapist?"

"Don't worry, it's nothing dangerous," he smiled. "A therapist is someone you can talk to when you're feeling upset. Think of them like a doctor, but for feelings."

"But, I am not not feeling well," Ekka argued.

"I'm sure you think you're fine, but I'd would like to be sure. I want you to feel safe here, Miss Ekka. I don't want you to feel like you're going to be punished for the littlest of mistakes, do you understand?"

"Yes, Mister Xavier," Ekka replied.

"Good," Xavier grinned. "It's nearly..." He checked his wristwatch. "One AM and you have classes tomorrow, so you need to go to sleep."

"R–Right," Ekka stuttered, sliding off the big arm chair. "I am sorry. Goodnight, Mister Xavier." She went to the door, but waited for Xavier.

"Goodnight, Miss Ekka," Xavier replied warmly, wheeling to the door Ekka held open for him. "And please, just call me Professor."

~•~•~•~

Flutter bounced on Ekka's forehead, tweeting loudly. Ekka stirred, peeking her eyes open to see Flutter bent over, cocking her head curiously and chirping. "Good morning to you too," Ekka laughed, rubbing a gently finger under her chin before scooping the bird up with a yawn.

Ekka blinked, it had been very sunny outside. She could hear other birds tweeting and children talking. It must be early, Ekka presumed. She remembered Vera telling her that her first class began at nine, and breakfast was at seven. Ekka frowned, looking for the digital clock. What time was it now?

 **10:03 AM.**

Ekka scrambled to get up, "We–We are late!" She shrieked. Ekka ran to the closet, throwing the doors open. Luckily, there had been a few sets of clothing in there, already prepared for her. Xavier said he was still getting her uniform so, this would have to do. The only clothes she had at the time was the ones on her back. Ekka quickly picked the first thing she saw, simple jeans and a blue tee shirt. They were a bit big on her, since she was very skinny from malnourishment at the Circus, but Ekka didn't mind.

Ekka was about to run out of the room, when she heard a angry tweet from Flutter. She nearly forgotten about her in her rush to get out. Ekka gave her an apologetic smile, picking her up gently and placing her on her shoulder securely. Then, she ran out the door.

~•~•~•~

Mr. George was quite upset when Ekka showed up very late to his science class. It certainly wasn't the ideal first impression. Children who stayed up late the night before were always tardy to his class, and he didn't enjoy it at all.

Naturally, he picked on the most tardiest one, out of tradition from getting a teaching degree. It had been harmless teasing, of course, making that particular student answer a few questions, singling them out when reading them aloud. He believed it was a great confidence booster, especially for the particularly shy ones.

So, when Ekka, a timid student who barely spoke English, and was nearly a hour and a half late to his class, walked through he doors, he knew immediately he was going to have a ball.

"You're _late_ ," Mr. George announced, loud enough for her, and the rest of his class, to hear. The young girl seemed to be smaller from the single statement, her eyes trained on the shiny, polished wood floors.

"I am sorry," she replied, barely above a whisper. Her accent was thick, and he recognized it as southern French. Not many people would be able to recognize it as such, but it was as simple as pointing out the Big Dipper to Mr. George. After all, he did want to a world's study teacher before he became a science teacher.

"Take a seat, miss..." He went to his roll chart, finding the only female student whom had been marked absent. "Miss Ekka." What an odd name, he mused to himself. That wasn't of French descent in the slightest. He vaguely wondered if she made the name for herself.

Ekka glanced around the room, finally finding a empty chair in the back-middle row. Mr. George heard a small tweet coming from her as she walked, a bird, he assumed. She must have animal telepathy or empathy, one or the other. It fit her shy persona, he supposed. She had been a living example of the common stereotype that all animal telepathic/emphatics were shy and reserved. It was also funny to watch.

Never the less, he needed to continue class, so, he turned back to the chalkboard. "As I was saying. Mold is a bacteria that can grow in _what_ kind of environment?" He scanned the class, every single hand had been up. That is, except for shy little Ekka's. He grinned, "Miss Ekka?" She jumped at the sound of her name being called.

"Y–Yes," she stuttered, obviously very startled.

"Where can mold grow?" He asked, repeating the question.

"Uh... Well... _Anywhere_ , I suppose..."

"But in what kind of _environment_ does it need to grow?"

" _Anywhere...?"_ Ekka was obviously absolutely stumped by his sudden question.

Mr. George picked on a different student, Delilah. She was blonde and obnoxious, but rather intelligent for her age. He believed her ability was making plants grow at her will. "Mold grows in cold, damp places," she proclaimed proudly.

"Good job, Miss Delilah," Mr. George praised the spoiled girl. "Tell me, how did you know that?"

" _Because_ ," she sent a mocking grin towards Ekka, who sank further into her chair. "We learned it this morning!"

"That's _right_ ," Mr. George continued. "Now, you see, Ekka, had you not been so tardy this morning, you would've known that. Next time, I expect for you to be at my class no later than 9:10 AM."

"Y–Yes, Mr. George..."

Mr. George smiled, continuing his lesson. This was going to be a _fun_ school year.


	4. Fading Screams

**Fading Echoes won with the Halloween-chapter contest! ! Thanks to all that entered and here you go!**

 **Enjoy~!**

~

Ekka sat on the sill of the window, watching the wind howl outside. It was early in the morning, and it had been very cold. Of course, that was expected for a October morning, but she hadn't known it could get this cold. Flutter sat perched in her lap, snuggling into Ekka's warmth. Ekka had wrapped herself up tight in a blanket, making her a bit warmer, but that didn't stop coldness from penetrating her window. Ekka tried not to mind. She had experienced colder nights back at the Circus, but she supposed Flutter hadn't.

"Ekka!" Someone shouted as the door swung open. Ekka jumped, barely catching Flutter before she slipped off her lap. Vera stood at her door with a wide smile on her face.

"Wh–What is it?" Ekka asked, rather startled by the girl's sudden entry. Ever since her enrollment into Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, she and Vera had become rather good friends. Vera had entitled herself as Ekka's _'Unofficial Big Sister_ ', and enjoyed talking with her. Vera herself loved speaking French, and since Ekka was still learning the English language, it made her a great study partner.

"Professor is going have one of the teachers buy a lot of candy!" Vera exclaimed, but Ekka was confused.

" _Candy_? For _what_?"

"For _Halloween_ , of course!" Vera was smiling from ear to ear. "They're going to divide it evenly among all the students so everyone can dress up and we can go trick-or-treating here! And after that, they're going to throw a _huge_ Halloween party!"

"' _Trick-or-treating_ '?" Ekka repeated. She had heard of the holiday ' _Halloween_ ', it wasn't uncommon in France or in the traveling Circus. Children and adults roamed the streets when it was dark at night, getting candy from strangers. The Circus set up a haunted house for people to come and enjoy. Father used to love that, especially when little kids began to wander around unchaperoned, because he got to scare them back to their parents.

Ekka herself didn't quite enjoy the holiday simply because she hadn't quite understood it. That, and she along with the rest of the children, were never allowed to go trick-or-treating. Now that she had the chance, Ekka didn't really know how to feel, but since Vera looked rather excited, she decided that she should be too.

Ekka smiled, it was small, yet genuine, "That sounds fun, Vera."

"I know _right_!" Vera grinned. "Now, we gotta make costumes, and we only have _five days_!" Vera grabbed Ekka's hand, pulling her out of the room, "How good are you with a sewing machine?"

That was an odd question. Ekka was required to make all her costumes back in the Circus, so making another one shouldn't be so hard. Ekka recalled telling Vera that she could sew, now that she thought of it. Maybe that was the cause of the odd question. "I can use a sewing machine," she answered. Vera led her down the hall and to her own room, where there was a white machine and a lot of material beside it.

"Great because I told Jess that I could sew, since she had a old sewing machine that her mom gave her before she came here. She said I could use it, if I made her a costume too. I don't know how to sew, but I just remembered that you told me that you _could_! So, will you _please_ help me make a costume?!" Vera inhaled at the end of her explanation, then looked at Ekka expectantly.

"Y–Yes, of course," Ekka said, not really knowing how else answer.

Vera squealed in excitement, " _Thank you!"_ She led Ekka to the table, and handed her the cloth, some old patterns, and other accessories. "Tell me what else you need and I'll get it. Buttons? Zippers? Uh, _polka dots!?"_

"... _Measurements_ ," Ekka answered. "I would not want to guess your sizes and then be mistaken. If... You could measure your friend, uh, Jess. And, I would need to know what kind of costume she wants too... And... Maybe a _reference_?"

"Right! Got it!" Vera zipped out the door, leaving it swinging, but came back two seconds later. "Haha, almost forgot!" She squeezed Ekka with a tight hug, and she stiffened, "Thank you so much!"

"Uh, y–you are welcome..." Ekka whispered, very surprised at the girl's sudden actions. Vera let go, then grabbed a note pad and pen off her desk, and left.

~•~•~•~

Vera's friend's costume was a lot easier to make than Ekka thought it would be since she requested a, ' _cat costume_ ' — she had described it to her as a ' _sexy cat',_ but since Ekka didn't quite know what that was, she just stuck with cat. It might have been for the lack of clothing the girl specifically requested — mostly on the legs, her shoulders, and on her torso — but otherwise, came out pretty well. Ekka had finished it in a matter of hours and was able to work on Vera's.

By the time Ekka finished Vera's costume, word had gotten around that she was making them pretty quickly. It had only been a matter of time before Vera had a crowd of students standing outside her door, desperately requesting Ekka to make costumes. Ekka had been so startled herself, that she panicked and hid in Vera's closet. It had taken her twenty minutes to calm down, and even then, she was much more reluctant to finish the costumes. Vera persuaded her to finish, promising that she would take Ekka out on a walk — she promised to do so days before, but hadn't gotten around to it.

Vera had even set up a system to make the costumes: the student would need to have a reference to the costume, wait their turn. While they were waiting, Vera would measure them for Ekka. Then, they would pay five dollars per hour it took. Because they were on such short notice, it usually only took two or three hours, mostly because the costumes were rather simple.

In the span of five days, Ekka had made nearly twenty costumes, and almost three hundred dollars! Vera insisted on Ekka taking at least two hundred, but Ekka refused. She had enjoyed making the costumes, so there was no need for her to make a profit from it. Vera decided to save at least one hundred fifty for her away, just in case she would need it later.

Ekka made herself a simple costume; it was from a book she read in class called 'Red Riding Hood'. Her costume was a simple red hooded-cloak, and regular clothing underneath. Ekka had told Vera her costume idea, and she loved it, suggesting that she'd carry around a basket as well, as use it for the candy she'd receive. Ekka was a bit confused, but Vera explained that in the story, the character was bringing goods to her grandmother in a wooden wicker basket, so the accessory was needed.

Ekka decided to make a basket in her free time, when she wasn't sewing together clothing. Vera chaperoned as she went into the thicker part of the woods to find stray branches. Then, she weaved them together, making a small basket.

~•~•~•~

The day of Halloween came, and the students went all out. Orange pumpkins were placed around every corner and carved with different designs, some being scary faces, that spooked Ekka, and others being intricate designs, that charmed her. A few students got the permission to turn one particular hall to a haunted maze, with dangers and jump scares around every corner.

There were also a few stations set up where the older, more responsible students and teachers, would help some kids carve their own pumpkins. Or, they'd supervise the few party games set out, such as bobbing for apples. Once night had fallen, the students would take their portion of candy, and wait for their hall's turn to go trick-or-treating with one another. After everyone had finished, they would be instructed to go to bed, and that would be the end of their All Hallow's Eve celebration.

Ekka had been nervously excited for the entire event. She had never been to a party before now, and since all the other students had been buzzing with the excitement, she couldn't help but feel the same.

Ekka didn't want to bother Vera, who had been hanging out with her own friends, so, she decided to venture the new Halloween mansion herself. She had a general idea of where everything was since she had came, so it wouldn't be that hard to know her way around.

Ekka donned herself with her costume, and placed Flutter on her shoulder. She tweeted, equally as excited. Ekka smiled, rubbing Flutter's small head as she headed out into the door and into the new 'halloweened' mansion.

~•~•~•~

Ekka decided immediately that she wouldn't not go to the haunted house, she didn't want to be scared anymore than it already looked.

As she walked down the halls, a few students thanked her for the costumes she made them. Ekka was barely able to give out a flustered reply, and continued walking.

The Halloween party room was filled with people. There was music playing and a lot of the students were talking or dancing to the music. A few students were dunking their heads in a bucket of water, which looked very strange from Ekka's view.

Ekka decided to go to the pumpkin carving station, since it looked rather tame compared to everything else. She sat down in one of the empty chairs and waited.

" _Hello there_!" Ekka jumped, frantically looking around. A rather tall upperclassmen in a red and blue superhero outfit-like was waving at her. "You wanna carve a pumpkin too?"

"I–I... Yes, I... I thought that..." Ekka stammered, and the girl laughed a little, walking to the other side of the table.

"You want a big pumpkin or a small one?"

"Uhm... A–A small one?"

The girl laughed again, "Great." Suddenly, a small pumpkin was dropped gently in front of her. Ekka's eyes widened, but the girl didn't look surprised at all. "Okay, so first you need to draw what design you want on the pumpkin. It could be a scary face or a heart, et cetera. Whatever you want."

"Okay..." Ekka paused, "... Can I draw a... A bird or something?"

"Of course!" The girl helped Ekka draw the bird on the pumpkin, using Flutter as a reference. Then, she took the pumpkin and cut a hole on the top of it. "Okay, now here's the gross part. You have to put some gloves on and take out all the pumpkin stuff inside of it."

Ekka nodded, putting on the gloves the girl offered to her. She carefully scooped out all the inside seeds and set them to the side. Flutter bounced off her shoulder, and began to peck at the seeds she discarded. Ekka smiled at her, "Do those taste good?" She asked the bird quietly. She thought with all the music and talking that she wouldn't be able to hear her, but she tweeted loudly. Ekka giggled, easily finishing her scooping.

"That's great!" The girl smiled, "I'll carve out the bird for you and then you'll be all set." The girl proceeded with using the carving knife to cut out the bird they drew. It came out rather well, and looked really pretty too. She also drew a few designs around the bird, making it more appealing to the eye, and even made a small branch for it to be perched on.

"And... _We're done_!" She smiled, handing Ekka the pumpkin.

" _Jean_!" Someone shouted over the crowd, making the girl look up. A male student reflective red glasses approached them, along with male student who was blue and had three fingers on both hands. The red-glasses student had a costume Ekka recognized as one of the ones she made. It was supposed to be a vampire cloak; black on the outside with red on the inside and a long collar. It was one of the easier ones she made.

The blue one was wearing a costume that made him look wolfish, with fake, blue hair shoved in every nook and cranny, a shirt that was designed to give him toned abs, and ripped shorts. "Who is this?" The wolf-boy asked. Ekka suddenly realized she was sitting between the three. Ekka gave a squeak of surprise, wanting to hide under her hood.

"S–Sorry... I will go now..." She murmured shyly. "Thank you Miss Jean..." Jean smiled at her.

"No problem, Ekka!" Ekka blinked, she had never given the girl her name. "I can read minds, don't worry."

"Oh..." Ekka felt stupid for being so surprised. She was in a school where every child had supernatural abilities. Another telepath shouldn't be so surprising.

"' _Ekka_ '?" The red-glasses repeated. "Hey, aren't you the same kid that made all those costumes?"

Ekka seemed to shrink at the attention, "U–Uh... I–I did..."

"That's _awesome_ ," he laughed. "This costume is so _tight_ man!"

"Ah, uhm... Th–Thank you..." She whispered.

"Name's Scott, by the way. _Scott Summers_ , and this is _Kurt Wagner_ ," he pointed to the blue boy beside him, who waved at her with his three fingers.

"... I–I am Ekka, but I suppose you already know that..." Ekka replied. Flutter gave a angry tweet when Ekka failed to introduce her. "Oh, a–and this is Flutter."

"That is a pretty bird," the blue boy spoke up. His accent was as thick as her own, making it almost hard to understand with all the noise. "What kind of bird is it?"

"She is a hummingbird," Ekka answered.

"We're gonna go to the haunted house, wanna tag along?" Ekka blinked, surprised at Scott's offer. She definitely didn't want to go anywhere near that haunted house, but she also didn't want to be rude. Ekka didn't quite know why they would even offer to take her along, but she definitely knew that they didn't have to. If there was one thing she learned at the Circus, it was to never turn down an offer for anything. It was rude and always made Father upset — she didn't want them be upset too.

"Ah... Uhm... Sure," Ekka answered.

Jean gave her a look, "You don't have to if you don't want to."

Ekka shook her head firmly, "N–No, it is okay. I would like to go too." It was only a haunted house after all. None of it was real, so what could possibly go wrong?

~•~•~•~

In retrospect, it was a pretty bad idea to attend a haunted house where every student in the building had some sort of superpower, that — with much determination, and creativity — could be used to scare the bejesus out of someone.

For example, take a student with a affinity for making plants grow in their favour. Then, using it to weave a monster-like man out of a small patch of — what Ekka had _assumed_ was fake — grass, armoured in bark, with feet of soil, carrying an axe that formed out of its hands and then chasing them.

Or, two students working together, one with the uncanny ability to make one see false things in mirrors, and the other with the ability to create these fake things. The four of them had a great time running from a clown with a twisted, almost demonic face, wielding a baseball bat with nails, and laughing with a high pitched voice that Ekka knew would haunted her dreams.

Or maybe — which happened to be Ekka's absolute least favorite — a room that was filled with wispy ghostlike people that embodied your worse fear. It had been different for each one of them. Ekka had nearly screamed when she saw a angry ghost version of Father, shouting soundlessly at her.

Needless to say, they quickly left that room.

Once they had finished, Scott was laughing loudly, "That was _fun_!"

"I disagree," Kurt replied. "That was _horrific_."

"I think we scared Ekka into silence," Jean commented, staring down at Ekka. Ekka was literally trembling, her eyes wide. "Ekka? Are you okay?"

"... A–Ah, yes, I, uhm, I a–am fine..." Ekka lied, trying to calm her heart that was attempting to jump out of her chest.

Jean gave the girl a pitying look, "How about we go back to the party? They'll start the ' _Best Halloween Costume'_ contest soon."

"Huh? What contest?" Ekka frowned, she had never heard of such a thing.

"Basically, everyone in the gym starts pretending to be their costume, and the judges will go around and tag people. If you're tagged, you're out. The finalist then go against one another, and we decide who wins," Jean explained.

"Oh... Okay," Ekka murmured, twisting her hands around her homemade basket. She didn't quite know if she wanted to participate, but it was better than the haunted house she was just traumatized by.

As they walked back to the gym, Scott decided to make small talk. "Where did you get that scar from, Ekka?" Ekka blinked at the sudden question, raising a hand to her face.

"I... I..." She stuttered, as her mind flashed back to that night.

" _Fira! No, please, do not die!" Ekka sobbed as Fira's eyes glazed over an her head lolled to the side. "I am sorry Father! I am sorry! Do not let her die, please! We will not do it again, I swear!!"_

 _"Stop your whining, and get up," Father hissed, yanking the bloody girl up from the ground. "Get in. It's your turn now."_

" _Ekka_?" Ekka snapped her head up, shaking. All three of the upperclassmen were staring at her.

"... _Sorry_ ," Ekka murmured, beginning to walk again. "The scar was from... A lion."

"A _what_!?" Scott exclaimed, making the girl jump.

Ekka ducked her head, a feeble attempt to be smaller and more unknown. "A–A _lion_. It scratched me..."

"How did a _lion_ scratch you?" Kurt asked, equally as surprised as Scott.

"It's... A long story..." Ekka said in a whisper tone.

"If you don't feel comfortable with explaining, then you don't have to," Jean assured. " _Scott_ shouldn't be so _nosy_." Jean sent a sideways glare his way, and the boy's eyes widened.

"I didn't _know_!" He exclaimed, but went silent again. A few minutes later, he and Kurt engaged on a conversation on something called ' _video games_ '.

"Hey," Ekka turned to Jean, who had slowed her pace to walk beside her. "I'm sorry for your friend." Ekka stared at the girl, momentarily confused. Then, she realized who she was talking about.

"Oh... I... It is okay... Th–Thank you..." Jean nodded and nothing else was said on the subject.

~•~•~•~

"Okay, everyone! We're gonna start our Halloween costume contest now!" One of the teachers announced. "Everyone do your best impression of your costume!"

The music in the background was turned up, drowning out the sounds of the student loud imitations of their characters. Ekka didn't really know what to do so she simply stood there, looking around and holding basket. Eventually, she was tagged out and told to sit on the bleachers. Ekka complied and began to walk towards the hard wooden seats. The sound of a whip made her stop in her tracks.

" _Jump through the hoop_!" Someone shouted. Ekka scanned the crowd, looking desperately for where the sounds were coming from. She finally caught a glimpse of them when the crowd parted. It was two students a few years older than herself, one was dressed up as a lion, the other... Was in a orange leotard. Was she supposed to be a _lion tamer...?_

The sound of the whip cracked again as she hit the lion. It wasn't hard by any means, just a tap, but Ekka didn't register it as that.

" _Work harder_!" Father screamed in her ears. " _Make them jump higher!! Do you want_ me _to whip them!?"_

" _No_..." Ekka gasped, her mouth suddenly feeling dry. Her heart hammered against her chest and she swallowed a knot in her throat. Ekka pushed through the crowd, not taking her eyes off the duo. "... No, _stop_!"

Ekka finally made it, barely catching the whip before it hit the lion, "Wha— _Hey_! That's _mine_!"

" _Stop_...!" Ekka cried, tears filling her eyes.

" _Let go_!" The girl demanded, pulling the whip back. She tried to go around the girl, but Ekka was blocking her from reaching the other boy. All she could think of was how Father might punish her later for being insubordinate.

The girl glared at her, then roughly pushed her to the ground, Ekka gasped as she fell. "What's _wrong_ with you, _weirdo_!?" The girl hissed.

"Do... Do not hit him anymore..." Ekka whispered, her body trembling. It was too late. Father was going to kill her, just like how he killed Fira. He was going to take another finger! He could make her drown herself! He'd–He'd let her step over the edge of a cliff! She was stupid to try to defend Frais! Had she learned nothing!?

"... It's not even _real_ ," the girl said above her. Ekka hadn't realized she was speaking. "It doesn't even hurt. See?" She raised the whip and aimed it at Ekka. Ekka stared at the girl, and for a second, her reality shifted. Instead of a simple student standing before her, it was Father. His dark eyes clouded with anger that seemed to pierce through her. His shadow loomed over her as he gave her lashings, but this time, he didn't stop. He just kept hitting her and _hitting her and **hitting her and**_ —

Oh god, oh god, no. _No_! Ekka panicked. _Help me_ _help me help_ —

A low growling rose beside her, making both her and the girl turn. The boy in the lion costume was on all fours, glowering at the girl. His eyes were wild, like a angered beast, and before either of them could react, he jumped at the girl.

He tackled her to the ground, clawing at her face, tearing at her hair, biting her. The girl screamed, kicking and struggling to get him off, which had drawn in more attention. Several students came to her aid to pull the boy off her.

Ekka sat, shocked at the scene. The girl's face held several scratches and she was crying. The boy was still growling, but backed away like a cautious animal. Everything was in chaos, and... It had all been her fault.

Ekka felt like she couldn't breathe. She needed to leave, now. So she did. She grabbed her stuff, pushing her way out of the crowd and ran.

~•~•~•~

A knocking at the door made Ekka stop crying for a second. Vera had tried to come in, but Ekka locked the door. She didn't want to hurt anyone else, especially after what she did to those two students. "Miss Ekka, please unlock the door, you are not in any trouble," it was Xavier. Of course. Ekka had disappointed him. He offered her safety in his school and she... She repaid him with _that_!?

"I am coming in now, Miss Ekka," Xavier said softly. Ekka heard the door open, and she didn't make a sound. "Miss Ekka?" She heard his wheelchair roam the room before stopping in front of her hiding place. He opened up the closet doors to reveal Ekka hiding in a small ball in the corner. "Why are you in the closet?"

"... I..." Ekka's voice cracked and she swallowed down the knot in her throat. "... I did not want to s–soil my bed... I thought you wo–would get upset..." Xavier chuckled at this.

"Come out, please, Miss Ekka," he coaxed, but Ekka shook her head.

"I... I made that boy hurt the girl..." Ekka whispered, more tears threatening her eyes. "... I am sorry, Mister Xavier. I did not mean to, I–I just...—I saw the _whip_ and I..."

"Don't worry," Xavier insisted. "No serious harm was done, it was just an accident."

"I–I do not even know what I did to him!" Ekka sobbed, "I was scared and–and then he just... _Attacked her_!"

"I _know_ ," he coaxed. "It's over now. The students already finished the trick-or-treating activity, and were all send to bed, I advise you do the same. After all, you do have class tomorrow." Ekka sniffed, but nodded, climbing out of her hiding spot. She curled up on the floor beside her bed, like she always did. Charles gave her a strange look, but didn't comment on it. Flutter tweeted beside her, as Charles rolled out of the room. "Goodnight, Miss Ekka."

"Goodnight, Mister Xavier."

As Ekka drifted to sleep, her thoughts were still haunted by what she did to that boy. Xavier had been right, it was merely an accident, but, she couldn't help but think that if this... Happened again, and she controlled someone like that again...

Then, Ekka was no better than her Father. And to Ekka, that was the scariest thought of all.

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

 **I honestly don't know what to say here... So many little Easter eggs for the future! And Ekka's power, hehe, do you guys get it yet? Tell me what y'all think she can do!**

 **Happy Halloweenie everyone—I didn't get to go trick-or-treating ,—have fun getting cavities and stomach aches and questioning what you're doing with your life (ooo~ existentialism! Now that's scary!).**

 **By the way, if this "" just looks like a rectangle to you, then don't worry, it's a jack-o-lantern. I understand the struggle, I used to have a Nokia ~.**

 **Also, big big biggie big big thanks to Absolutely_Positive for giving me that suggestion on what she could do. Ugh, I never even THOUGHT of that XD! All credit goes to her! Check her out, her fan fiction, It's Callie and the sequel It's Us was amazing and so is she! (If you're reading this AP, then hai). She also has a account for her original stories called AJCuff which is eqUALLY AS AWESOME!**

 **(Not to... Uhm... _Fangirl_ or anything, but my favorite story is The Other Side because o m g it's so good and I love how the character is developing and then stuff happens and I can't wait for the next update w!!)**

 **But hey... I am a very serious human bean. I am capable of giving a simple shout out to an amazing person and she's like totally my senpai and—**

 **I'm gonna stop here before I write like an thousand word long note—which she absolutely deserves. I'll see y'all next time, and remember...**

 **Don't scream~!**

 **~ Happyritas~!**

 **Happy Halloween!**


	5. quatre

**Chapter Four:**

It was official. Ekka did _not_ like her new home.

The school itself was fine, and so were most of the teachers, especially her English one. He always helped her whenever she needed it, and was slowly teaching her how to read and write. Her science teacher, Mr. George, was nothing short of mean to her.

He would always choose Ekka when she didn't raise her hand to give an answer, and when she finally stuttered an answer, the entire class would laugh because it was wrong. It made her upset and feel stupid.

One of the students, _Delilah Shepard_ , liked the fact that she knew little to nothing in science, or anything school related really. She would tease her relentlessly after, or during, class. She also had three friends, Samantha, Kendra, and Andrea, who joined her in her teasing. It was pretty harmless, so Ekka said nothing on it. A few taunts here, knocking down her books there, Ekka could live with that.

Ekka had, unknowingly, began to slip back into her old mindset at the Circus. Her father used to say that if they tried to get help from the people who came in, he would cut out their tongue, and they wouldn't get fed for the next two weeks. A few kids had tried, and true to his word, he cut their tongues out, and refused to feed them. Two children died because of that — blood loss and malnutrition wasn't a good combination.

Ekka didn't want that to happen to her, at the Circus and at school. She didn't want to get in trouble if she told someone what was going on. So, she kept it to herself. The only person who knew was Flutter, and she couldn't do much except ruthlessly peck at them.

Instead, Ekka focused on her studies whenever she was alone. She'd focus on writing as much as she could, or her math or science. When the teachers gave them homework, Ekka would finish it, then review it, then redo it on a different paper and see if she had gotten the same answers.

Once she finished studying, Ekka would sometimes go outside, and sit near the woods by herself. It was near November now, and it had been getting kind of chilly, and it was raining for a few days, but Ekka didn't mind. She had had colder nights back at the circus in the lion's cage. Although she had the warmth of several lions all pressed against her, that didn't stop the frostbite from nipping at her bare toes and her nose. Ekka was surprised she had never gotten hypothermia or pneumonia. She had gotten sick once or twice, but Father was always generous enough to treat to her illnesses. He did that to all his children. They were no use to him sick, after all.

Ekka sighed, looking at a squirrel who had been very interested in his nut. He glanced at her, tilted his head, then scurried off deeper into the forest.

Flutter, who had been playing with one of the flowers, hopped into her lap, pecking her long beak at Ekka's fingers. This usually meant she wanted to be rubbed. So, Ekka ran her coarse fingers over her hummingbird's soft coat. The bird made a few noises of pleasure. It was calm, Ekka enjoyed it. She liked the peace and serenity the forest brought. Ekka was never allowed this kind of peacefulness back at the Circus, so she was glad to have the chance here.

Something collided with the back of Ekka's head, and she gasped, jumping up. She felt her head, her fingers coming back with mud and dirt. Another one hit her, at her shirt this time. Ekka turned, trying to find the culprit, but instead found no one.

Then, she spotted a few balls of mud were floating in the air, and then zoomed in her direction. Ekka tried to dodge them, but if the didn't hit their target, it would come back around and try again. Ekka gave up, allowing herself to be pelted with the mud balls, and covered her face in the false hopes it wouldn't get in her eyes. That didn't help.

Once the attack finished, the mud was everywhere, coating her from top to bottom. Ekka opened her hands, where she hand kept Flutter in. She — thankfully — was safe of harm. However, she seemed worried about Ekka. Before she could assure her that she was fine, giggling rang through the air. Ekka looked up, to see Delilah, and her trio of friends, walking by her, giggling loudly.

"Did you have fun in the mud pit, piggy?" Delilah called out, and Ekka looked down, not meeting her eyes.

"I am _not_ a pig," she replied, her voice barely audible, and her accent didn't do anything to help it.

"What was that? You want _more_ mud?" Delilah motioned to Andrea, the only black girl in her group. Ekka remembered that she had an affinity with earth, which was why the mud was floating and not being thrown.

Two more mud balls hit her, one directly in the lower half of her face, the other on the side of her head. Ekka sputtered, try to get the mud out of her mouth, wiping at her mouth with one hand, and cradling Flutter in the other. The girls laughed at her attempt to clean it off, "Have fun playing, _little piggy!"_ With that, the girls stalked off.

Ekka tried to get as much mud off as she could, but it was no use. There was too much. Ekka wanted to go inside and take a shower, but she remembered that there was a strict rule about not tracking mud in the school. Ekka believe that this exceeded the limit or redemption for breaking the rule.

Ekka sighed, when it got colder, the mud would harden, and that would let her go inside without tracking mud in. So, Ekka sat down, and continued to rub Flutter, waiting patiently.

~•~•~•~

It wasn't long before the sun set, and it became frigidly cold. Ekka sat on the forest floor, freezing. She didn't have on enough layers to keep the freezing cold breezes that pricked her skin at bay. She was still covered in mud, however, and did not want to make a mess inside.

Ekka supposed that it would be in her best interests to simply stay the night outside. Maybe, if she came back the next morning, she wouldn't get in as much trouble as she might've. Ekka silently hoped that the Professor wouldn't be cross with her. She wouldn't be able to live with herself if she knew that she'd upset him.

Flutter poked Ekka's cheek with her beak, tilting her head at her. Ekka sighed, stroking her head. "I apologize. I would not have you out here in the cold if your wing was healed." Ekka pushed herself against a tree and held Flutter close to her chest, in hopes to keep her warm. Flutter snuggled into her hands, tweeting gently. Ekka smiled at her small companion, slowly allowing her eyes to drift closed, and falling asleep.

~•~•~•~

Ekka woke up to someone shaking her. Her eyes fluttered open to see Charles Xavier staring at her, wide eyed and concerned. Ekka jumped back in surprise, clutching a rather startled awake Flutter to her chest. " _Mr. Xavier_...?" Ekka said, her voice for some reason feeling coarse and small. She couldn't help but let out a loud, sick cough, which left her lightheaded and dizzy.

"What on _earth_ are you doing out here!?" Charles demanded. Ekka froze. She was in trouble now. Father would punish her severely. He was going to kill her just like he killed Fira!

"I–I am sorry," Ekka murmured, simultaneously moving away from the man. She was in so much trouble now. She couldn't perform if she was sick! He was going to kill her if she was sick! Ekka curled in on herself, tears welling in her eyes, "I am sorry! I–I am sorry! I—"

"Hank, get her to the infirmary," Charles ordered. Ekka felt hands come up underneath her, and she tensed, scrambling away, accidentally releasing Flutter as well. Her scorched finger began to burn, and her missing pinky ached. She was vividly aware of all the marks of her lashings on her back, which made chills run down her spine.

' _Ekka, please, calm down_ ,' Mr. Xavier's voice echoed in her head. ' _We're here to help. Let Mr. McCoy take you to the infirmary_.' Ekka began to cry, ignoring his instructions. She was _terrified_ , and he was going to punish her. She could feel Father's dark eyes boring into her skull. Ekka couldn't get her thoughts in order, everything was in a chaotic state. She didn't know whether to stand there and allow her punishment, or run. Of course, if she did, her punishment would be significantly worse.

Her mind shifted, priories changing completely. _Flutter_. Find _Flutter_. She heard her sharp tweeting, and looked down. Flutter was by her foot, pecking at her toes. She slowly picked up the small bird, rubbing her head and belly. The bird chirped in pleasure, despite the fact that Ekka's fingers were cold and trembling.

Someone picked her up again, and Ekka didn't protest, their fast movements to get her inside lulled her to sleep.

~•~•~•~

Ekka woke in a strange place. It was white and very clean. The windows were large, but closed and allowed sunlight to peek through the curtains. Ekka glanced around, nobody was there, but she did spot Flutter resting beside her on a nightstand with a small blanket to give her warmth.

The doors opened and Ekka fell back in the bed, pretending that she was asleep. Her heart beat wildly in her chest and she had to force herself to calm down. "I know you're awake, Miss Ekka," Xavier spoke up. Ekka peeked an eye at the man, who was in his wheelchair beside her bed.

"I apologize..." Ekka murmured, sitting up as well.

"Why is that?"

"I..." She bit her lip, "I was scared... I did not want to get in trouble, so I hid..."

"Don't worry about that," he said, waving it away. "Why were you sleeping _outside_ , Miss Ekka?"

"I..." Ekka looked down, not meeting his eyes, "I did not want to bring dirt inside. I supposed that if I stayed outside, it would just harden, and–and then I could..." Ekka trailed off, feeling stupid.

"You are _very_ smart, Miss Ekka, and I am pleased that you were being mindful of the house rules. However, that is not an excuse to get yourself sick." Ekka hung her head in shame. "Luckily, one of the upperclassmen with healing attributes was generous enough to heal you back to your original health. But, that doesn't excuse your actions." Ekka gave a small nod. "How did you get so muddy in the first place?"

"Flutter and I were playing in the mud, and it got out of hand," Ekka lied immediately. She didn't want to lose her tongue if she told the truth.

Charles narrowed his eyes, "Are you _certain_?"

"Y–Yes," Ekka nodded.

"You realize that there were strict rules for the students _not_ to play in the mud after it rained?"

"Yes..." Ekka murmured. "I apologize. I will not do it again."

Xavier gave her another suspicious look, "Okay then..." He cleared his throat. "Since it is the rules, I'll have to give you two weeks of detention. No playing outside. And, you'll have to help clean up the dishes during meal times as well."

"Yes, Mr. Xavier," Ekka murmured, balling her hands around the sheets.

Xavier was quiet for a long while, "Are you _positive_ nothing else happened, Miss Ekka?"

"Yes, Mr. Xavier," Ekka replied, her voice hollow. "I am the one at fault. I apologize."

Xavier pressed his lips into a thin line, "Goodbye, Miss Ekka. I'll send down the student to check your injuries again." He turned in his wheelchair and left.

~•~•~•~

The student with the healing powers was very nice to Ekka. His name was _Issac_. He had dark skin, tanned by the sun, and short hair that was no taller than a few inches. He asked her a lot of questions, like what her favourite colour was, or what her favourite animals were. Although Ekka couldn't answer them all — she didn't know how to say a few words in English, and he sometimes couldn't understand her with her accent — she still had a lot of fun.

Ekka was sad when he finished, but he gave her a sticker for being cooperative so she was happy again. Ekka had never had a sticker before and was very intrigued by it. "How does it work?" She asked, staring at how the flimsy paper star stuck to her finger.

"Just stick it on something," Issac explained. Ekka slowly placed the sticker on the back of her hand, then beamed. "Have you really never had a _sticker_ before?"

"We did not have your... _Stickers_ where I am from," Ekka admitted. It was the truth. The chance Father would reward them for anything, especially with _stickers_ , was _extremely unlikely._

Issac's eyes went soft and he smiled a little. "Well, then here. Have _two_ ," he peeled off another sticker and handed it to her. Ekka's eyes lit up with pure excitement. She gently took it from his finger and placed it on her hand again, this time a little lower than the last.

" _Thank you_!" Ekka beamed.

"Maybe if I see you again, you'll get a glittery sticker, okay?" Ekka nodded feeling her small stars and giggling to herself.

" _Issac_!" A voice shouted. Ekka jumped, her eyes widening. All traces of excitement left her eyes and was replaced with fear. A girl stood in the doorway of the infirmary. She was tall and had red hair with green eyes. She wore a blue sweater with a silly design of a cartoon heart, and jeans. She looked irritated, but not angry. Ekka allowed herself to relax a little. "We need to get going. The others are waiting on us." It took Ekka a second, but she remembered her as the girl from Halloween. Her name was Jean, if Ekka recalled.

"Let me finish up," he replied and turned back to Ekka. "You're all set. You can go to the shower now, and wash your hair, just in case."

"Yes, Mister Isaac." Isaac gave her a pat on the shoulder, and Ekka jumped, tensing immediately. Both students noticed it, but neither said anything about it.

"Well... Then, I'll see you later, Ekka," he smiled and Ekka slipped out of the bed, scooping up Flutter as she left.

Jean smiled down at her, making small dimples appear on her cheeks. "Hey, Ekka," she greeted, then looked to Flutter that was perched on her shoulder. "Hello Flutter!"

"Hello, Miss Jean," Ekka replied, giving the older student a small smile.

"I'd love to talk, but we have to get going. Professor said we can head into the city to buy our Christmas presents. And, I've got a long list from a bunch of friends who want us to run a few errands while we're out," Jean paused. "Do you have anything you want?"

"Uhm..." Ekka twisted her finger, "N–No... I do–do not think so..."

"Well, tell me, or the guys, if you think of anything, we'll get it for you," Jean beamed.

"Thank you..." Ekka replied softly, not quite knowing how to respond. She suddenly remembered that lunch would be starting soon, and she still needed to take a shower and straighten up the cafeteria, as apart of her punishment. "Goodbye, Miss Jean and Mister Isaac!" She called out as she hurried down the hall, quickly walking towards the cafeteria so she didn't break the ' _no running_ ' rule.

~•~•~•~

The next few days weren't so bad. All she had to do was clean down the tables after every meal time, and put away the dishes. A few other older students who were given the same punishment as her helped, but they did it begrudgingly, and often did not clean up fully. This meant Ekka had to straighten up after them, making her redo the dishes that were still dirty, and re-clean the tables that still held food stains. This extra work caused Ekka to be late for her classes after the meal times — her science and math class.

Her tardiness only irritated her teachers. Although Mrs. Kenny was annoyed, and gave her extra work, she didn't dwell on it. Mr. George, however, relished in it. Her tardiness irritated him, and he decided to punish her in his own... _Unique_ way. He had moved her to the seat beside his desk without a table, and she was to work beside him there. Ekka was forced to write on her knees, and whenever no one would raise their hands for a question, Ekka was forced to answer.

Sometimes, nobody raised their hands, just to watch their peer nervously give an answer, that was usually wrong. It felt like torture, and Ekka hated it. She felt as if she were back at the Circus again, with hundreds of pairs of eyes watching her and her lions. At least then, she could try to do something that could entertain them — they wanted her lions to dance and sing, after all, not her. But this time, Ekka was alone, and stripped of her lions. She was their entertainment, and she was supposed to dance and sing like a loyal puppet attached to strings.

Everyday afterwards, Ekka felt like crying. She had never escaped Father, not really. There would always be a ' _Father_ ' in her life, just taking different forms. Mr. George, Delilah and her friends, they were both exactly like Father, and there would always be more. Ekka would never be able to escape him. Why had she even _tried_?

Would Father look for her? All the way in _America_? _Could_ he? Ekka didn't know, and it made her feel sick to even think about the possibility.

Ekka continued to pick the dishes off the table, standing straight. This would be the evening of her fifth night cleaning, and she still had nine more to go. She didn't mind, though. Sometimes, Ekka liked to be alone with her thoughts, as long as they didn't stray too far, too fast, like they just had. It was almost like being in the forest again, listen to the sounds of nature all around her. She enjoyed it.

Ekka precariously balanced a few cups on a plate with several utensils shoved inside the cups, watching her steps carefully. This was her last load of dishes before she had to clean off the tables. All the other students left, having finished their jobs, and wanted to go to bed. Ekka was left with cleaning up the messes they forgot, and the dishes they discarded.

" _Boo_!" Someone shouted right in Ekka's ear. Ekka screamed, losing balance immediately. The dishes fell to the ground, the glass ones shattering into a million pieces. Ekka stumbled to get away, tripping over her own feet.

Her palms collided with the glass, shards embedding themselves deep in Ekka's skin, making her bleed immediately. She hissed in pain, bringing her hands to her chest.

The other girls began to laugh at her pain, "Did you _see_ that!?" Samantha cackled.

"She jumped like _eight feet_!" Andrea replied, wiping tears from her eyes. Ekka looked down, focusing her attention on her bleeding hands. She tried to pull one of the bigger shards of glass out, but stopped when it began to hurt too much.

"Have fun cleaning, _little piggy_ ~," Delilah giggled, and the four students left.

Ekka stared at her hands before shakily beginning to try to pick up the dishes on the ground. The smallest movements of her hands caused burning hot pain, but it didn't stop Ekka. She had slowly began to make a small pile of shards, so she could clean them up. The shards lacerated her fingers in retaliation, but Ekka didn't complain.

A hand placed itself on Ekka's shoulder and she worked. She froze, looking up. Mr. Xavier was beside her, out of his wheelchair again. She blinked a few times realizing her sight had gone blurry, she barely stopped herself from using her hands to rub the tears from her eyes.

"What happened?" Xavier's voice was soft, understanding. He didn't sound like he was going to yell at her, but Ekka was still chary, and turned back to her work.

"I was playing and I tripped," Ekka whispered, "It is my fault. I should have been working."

"Miss Ekka—"

" _I apologize_ ," she continued. "I... Will deal with this, then go to bed." Ekka scooped up the glass and winced, even more shards cutting her skin. A few pieces even fell, embedding themselves in her bare feet as well. Ekka slowly threw them in the trash bin, mechanically turning to get the dishes.

"Are you _lying_ to me, Miss Ekka?" Xavier asked. Ekka hinted a bit of disappointment in his tone. She looked at him, and smiled, a small, false smile.

" _No_."

~•~•~•~

The last and final days of her punishment passed, and Ekka felt relieved. Her hands were tightly bandaged, Isaac had exhausted his power to help a student who had fell from a tree and twisted his ankle. So, he had gotten a pair of tweezers and fixed her hands the old fashioned way.

Xavier had began to ask more questions about the mud and glass incident, but Ekka lied every time. She knew he knew she was lying, due to his abilities, but... He was doing nothing to help her. Almost as if he _wanted_ her to say something, but at the same time, _knew_ she wouldn't.

Christmas came. Ekka received a few presents from her teachers, Vera, Xavier — but he gave everyone a present though — and, Isaac.

Vera made her and Flutter a sweater, but really looked like a full body-warmer, since it only had two, wide holes. Ekka graciously accepted the gift, something she never had gotten herself before. Flutter's actually had holes, for her legs and wings — Vera had gotten Jess to help her for Flutter's gift — and the small bird wore it everyday with pride.

Xavier and the teachers all gave everyone the same gift. For Xavier, a snow globe that looked like the school, and from the teachers, a homework pass based on how many A's they had so far.

Her favourite present, was _Isaac's_. A book full of stickers of all kinds. When he gave it to her, Ekka was stunned. Then, she hugged him, the first hug she had really given anyone since... Fira.

Ekka flipped through the book, took out a great big sticker, a blue bird, and placed it on the back of his hand. Isaac laughed, naming the bird Flitter. Flutter, jealous of the bird, poked his hand, upset. Flutter's wing was taken out of her cast a few weeks earlier, and allowing her to be able to glide down from high places, but not quite ' _fly_ ' yet.

Then, there was ' _Secret Santa_ '. Ekka had been lucky enough to get Xavier. Her present to him was a blanket she made that had the big ' **X** ' with a circle around it. Then, she scraggily wrote his name with embroidery in the corner — with much help. The blanket itself was made out of the material of clothing she had found that the students grew out of and couldn't be worn again. The patches were meticulously arranged. It wasn't the prettiest thing in the world, but Ekka liked to think that her present had a piece of every student, and that was okay. It was big enough to fit over his legs on the wheelchair, so Ekka thought it would fit.

Charles _loved_ it, and the idea that he had ' _a little bit of everyone_ '. He put the blanket over his lower torso, with the ' **X** ' sticking out.

After they had a party, and most of the students with somewhere to go went home, the few leftover took advantage of the several snow storms they received, building snow sculptures, having intense snow fights, or ice skating on the pond.

Ekka decided to ice skate on the pond, and left Flutter inside. It was too cold for her, and she didn't complain. Ekka waited until a student was willing to give up their shoes. When she finally gotten a pair of ice skates, she tried them on, the ground was slippery and it was very hard to balance. Several times, Ekka slipped and fell on the ice.

Ekka frowned in frustration, looking at all the other students. They seemed to be gliding on the ice, putting one foot in front of the other, balancing on the blades. Ekka moved towards the edge, before shakily standing and trying again.

Ekka copied their movements, pushing herself to glide on the ice, and it worked. She giggled, and continued to skate, occasionally glancing down to see if she was still standing.

As Ekka skated, her mind went back to her dancing routine with Fira. A small, nostalgic smile touched her lips, and she began the routine. It was a fast dance she and Fira performed in the Circus, and was almost hard to convey the same on ice. She struggled to remember a few of the moves, but as she skated, the memories came flooding back.

Ekka was _flying_ on the ice. She was twisting and turning, jumping and spinning. She would skate along the very edge, picking up momentum, before she'd jump, soaring through the air. She felt like Fira was right beside her, laughing as she paralleled Ekka every move.

The dance originally finished with Ekka throwing Fira in the air, and performers on the trapezes catching her, but without a partner, Ekka simply threw her hands in the air, as if to say 'ta-da!'.

Ekka was surprised to hear clapping explode around her. She jumped, barely able to keep her balance. Everyone had been watching her and her pretend performance. Ekka looked down nervously, and began to skate away, embarrassed.

A chunk of ice slammed into the blade of Ekka's skates as she skated. She gasped, tripping forwards before her balance completely left her. She slammed unto the pond's surface, skidding towards the far side of the pond.

Everything was fine for a moment, and Ekka tried to get up. Then, she saw a mark under her hand. When she raised it, there was a crack in the ice. Ekka jumped, and began to run, but the ice was faster. Soon, there was no floor under her feet and Ekka fell through the ice, into the freezing cold water.

The feeling of a thousand needles, stabbing her all at once was what Ekka felt in the water. Her thoughts were scrambled, and she struggled to get back above water, but the weight of her clothes, and the skates dragged her down. Ekka gasped for air, bubbles leaving her mouth and water entering her lungs. She couldn't _swim_! She couldn't _breath_! She was going to _die_!

' _Hold on Ekka! We're coming_!' A voice sounded as far away and echoey. Ekka felt something wrap around her before her eyes slammed shut.

~•~•~•~

Ekka heard a slow beeping sound when her eyes opened again. She saw Flutter, resting on her chest. She moved to get up, but she was attach to so many wires and needles. So, she laid back down, trying to go back to sleep.

The door open just before her eyes closed. She looked over to see Hank and Xavier. "Hello Miss Ekka," Xavier greeted warmly.

" _Hello_..." She murmured.

"Isaac already paid you a visit, but you will still take a little while to recover."

"Okay..."

"Do you want anything _hot_? I can have some hot chocolate prepared for you." Ekka gave a small nod and Hank walked away, closing the door behind him. "Miss Ekka, do you know how this happened?" Ekka didn't respond quickly. She knew this had been another attack from Delilah, and the others. There was no uneven ice on the pond, the teachers cleaned it off, making it perfectly smooth too. Besides, the ice chunk was huge and came directly for Ekka.

"I tripped," Ekka lied. "I–I should not have tried to skate if I did not know what I was doing. I apologize."

"Is that _true_?"

"Yes, Mister Xavier."

"Well, I have four students outside saying that _they_ were the reason you fell. What am I going to tell them?"

Ekka's eyes widened, " _No_! _I_ did it! It was _my_ fault I—" she stopped herself when Xavier rose his hand. She imagined Father, with a knife in his hand, glaring at her. Ekka turning away, trembling, tears in her eyes, "I–I am sorry, I...—" her heart was racing in her chest, and didn't seem to slow anytime soon.

"Miss Ekka," Xavier's voice was soft, calm. "Is there something you'd like to tell me?" Ekka shook her head violently, making messy, still damp curls fly from side to side. " _Why_?"

"Fa–Father said i–if we tried t–to get help, he wo–would take our _tongues_ ," At her confession, Charles's eyes went wide, shocked. "I–I was scared. I–I did not want to an–anger you, and I–I did not wa–want to be punished," Ekka stammered. "I... I apologize, I..." More tears left her eyes, and Ekka sank into the blankets for false security.

Xavier didn't say anything for a long moment. "Move over, Ekka." Ekka did, and, with much effort, he lifted himself onto her bed. "Let me remind you, I would never, _ever_ take your tongue from you."

"I–I di–did not k–know..." Ekka whispered, and he smiled at her.

"I know. But, now you _do_. And, I would _never_ not allow you to speak up if someone is bothering you. _Please_ , tell me these things. I can _help_." Ekka nodded mutely. Xavier straightened on the bed, "Now, clarify something for me. When you were ' _playing with mud_ ', that was not your fault, correct?"

" _I_ —"

" _Yes_ , or _no_."

Ekka held her head in shame, "... _No_..."

"And, the _dishes_ incident?"

"But... I..." She sighed when he saw the look he gave her, " _No_..."

"Okay, then. I'll decide a punishment for those girls, and let you recover."

"But, I do not _want_ them to be punished!" Ekka exclaimed. "Then, it... It would be just like _Father_! _I_ would be just like Father!" Xavier rose an eyebrow at her exclamation. "Please, do not punish them. Let... Let them talk, learn from their mistakes."

Charles gave Ekka a strange look, "These are the girls that _assaulted_ you _several times_. Are you _sure_ you want them to—" Ekka nodded frantically. "... If you believe that is the best." Xavier lifted himself off the bed and back into his wheelchair. "I believe Mr. McCoy has your hot chocolate, but there are some people who would like to see you first."

Xavier wheeled himself to the door, and pulled it open from the side. Students began flooding in, the first of them being Vera.

"Oh, my _god_ , Ekka! You're _okay_!" Vera cried over the mass of talking people. She hugged Ekka from her half laying, half sitting position.

Ekka laughed a little, "Yes, I am."

Someone else stepped forward, Isaac. "Nice to see you're alright, short stuff." Vera moved and Isaac gave her a hug. All the other students began to pile in, either thanking Ekka for something that she had done for them, or their wishes in her getting back to normal health.

Ekka was surprised at the amount of people that greeted her. She felt a few tears roll down her cheeks, but she wiped at them, and smiled to the students. Ekka felt warm, despite falling into a froze river. She felt loved, and cared for, something she hadn't felt since she met Fira.

A smile touched Ekka's lips, and she replied, " _Thank you_."


	6. cinq

**Chapter Five:**

"Today, we'll be starting our specials for the new semester," Mr. George announced to all the third graders in his class. Cheers resounded in the room from all the children. Ekka, however, stared in confusion, but didn't voice a question. She had learned that it would be better to stay silent in class and keep her head down opposed to speaking, even when she knew the answers.

"I'll be passing out the new schedules now," Mr. George continued. "Memorize what days you'll be going where. They're only three times a week, but they are also different for everyone. If you have any questions, come to me, and I'll help explain it." He began around the room, passing out the papers in alphabetical order. Once he finally got to Ekka, he nearly tossed it at her, but she feebly caught it.

Meekly, Ekka began to look at the paper, her lips pressed thin. She couldn't read anything on it except the small print that was her name in the corner.

Ekka set the paper down. At first, she thought she could go over it with Vera, like she had done with her schedule when she first entered the school, however she remembered that Vera had gone back to Italy because someone in her family died. Ekka sighed, maybe Mr. Walker would help her read it. He helped her read a lot of stuff when she didn't know how.

"Miss Ekka," Mr. George spoke, and she sank in her seat. "Might I ask _why_ you are not reviewing your schedule? I think it is rather important for you to know where to go in order to get to the right place."

Ekka didn't speak for a second, " _Well_?" Mr. George pressed.

"I... I, uhm..." She she began slowly, "I... Ca–Cannot read," Ekka's voice was near nonexistent, and Mr. George was, of course, not going to accept that.

" _Excuse me?_ What did you say?"

"I cannot read," she said a little louder, hoping he could hear her.

He did, but repeated himself anyway, "You can't _read_?" Ekka bit her tongue, but nodded. The entire class had went silent, hearing the new information. She forced herself not to look at Delilah and her friends. They had stopped messing with her a bit since the ice skating incident. They would still poke and tease her whenever they got the chance, but nothing big.

"Why didn't you _say_ something?" Mr. George demanded, Ekka wasn't able to give a response before he started talking again. "Do you need a version in _French_?"

"N... No," Ekka feebly replied. "I–I uhm, I cannot read, uhm, French, either."

"I don't understand," he spoke, squinting his eyes, "If you don't read French _or_ English, what language _do_ you read?"

"I... I cannot read," she replied, hating the feeling of having all eyes on her back. " _Period_. I, uhm, ne–never learned." Mr. George stared at her, before rubbing the bridge of his nose in irritation.

"Did I not tell the entire class that if you needed help to _come to me_?" Mr. George asked, addressing the class. A collective round of agreements came from the children. Me. George spoke again, "Why did you not _say_ something?" Ekka shrugged, feeling tears growing in her eyes. She really didn't like being questioned like this. "Come _here_ , Ekka."

Ekka took a second, but reluctantly stood, walking to his desk. Mr. George took her schedule from her, "Try to read it," he insisted.

"I–I—"

"You'll never learn unless you try, Miss Ekka. I'm not reading that for you, you are in third grade, therefore, you should be able to at least sound out the words."

Ekka looked back down, her eyes blurring with tears as she tried desperately to read the foreign language to her. Her hands shook and her throat choked as she forced out a few words, "Uh... P.. Purr... Pe–Per... Peer-ree... Odd... Peer-reod one... Uhm..." Ekka brought the paper closer, trying to ignore the snickers that rose in the room, "P... Peh... Peh... Cee... Col... Peh-cecole... E... Due... Ca... Cat...—"

" _Give me that_!" Mr. George snapped, his patience ran thin as he snatched the schedule away. Ekka gasped, her hands trembling as she stared at her feet while her teacher read the schedule aloud. "' _Period one: Physical Education. Period two: Ability Control and Conduct. Period Three: Guidance Counseling Sessions_ '. That was not that hard, a five-year old could have read it. Don't crave attention, it's unbecoming of a child your age."

"... I apologize," she replied, her voice small.

"What did I say about mumbling in my class?" Mr. George spoke sharply.

" _N... No mumbling_ ," she replied, trying to speak more clearly.

"Exactly. Mumbling is not allowed. ' _If you don't have the courage to speak it loud and clear, then_...'?"

It took Ekka a second to realize that he wanted her to finish, "' _Do–Do not speak a–at all_...'?"

"Do not speak at all. _Exactly_. Now, go back to your seat Miss Ekka, we have wasted too much time with your schemes! Time to start class! Put your schedules away!" Ekka scurried back to her desk, keeping her head low as she put her schedule in her desk. She was careful to not hit Flutter, who had been resting inside. Mr. George didn't like birds, or ' _winged rats_ ', in his classroom. Ekka still tried to sneak her in anyway whenever she could. Flutter kept her calm, especially when she felt like she was back at the Circus and got really scared.

Ekka slowly pulled her textbook out, careful to not hit the resting hummingbird, and then carefully set it down on the top in order to not wake her up either. "Turn to page 72. Today, who can tell me what a herbivore is?"

~•~•~•~

According to Ekka's schedule, she had Physical Education today. She vaguely wondered what that was, but did not try to ask.

Her teacher for Physical Education was Mr. Byers. He was a short man who was very thick. He had brown hair that was cut very short and matching eyes. Mr. Byers wore a texture of clothing that Ekka didn't recognize, but it was short sleeved and he wore shorts. He had a gap between his top teeth wide enough that it looked like he could fit his tongue through it, and had a strange black thing Ekka didn't recognize around his neck on a rope.

"C'mon, kiddies, we don't got all day, get a move on!" Mr. Byers said while Ekka and a few other students walked down the hall to his class. At his words, Ekka hurried down the hall. She let out a helpless squeak as the short man gave her a solid pat on the shoulder, "Good job, kiddo. Now hurry up! We're gonna have to wait here all day to start if y'all are gonna move like _turtles_!"

Ekka stared at her teacher's classroom. It was huge, as in, Ekka hadn't seen any room as big as this one. The floor were wood, but they were polished and painted as well. There was a strange white board with a orangish hoop hanging from that. Underneath the hoop was a... Net that had a lot of openings, making it kind of useless. Ekka looked on the other side, and there was another one identical to this one, parallel to it as well.

There were two doors that lead to different rooms, and a double doors that lead outside. "So _big_ ," Ekka murmured. This room was almost as big as the Circus was. Flutter gave a chirp in response.

"Kid! Go take a seat!" Mr. Byers snapped behind her. Ekka tensed and quickly ran. She went to go sit where she saw other students sitting on the ground. She sat in the back, moving Flutter to her lap.

Ekka spoke with Flutter while she waited for her teacher to start. A student beside her heard her small chatter with the bird, and tapped her on the shoulder. Ekka jumped, as the student whispered to her. "Hey... You're not s'pose to bring animals to P.E., in case they get hurt," he informed her, motioning to Flutter.

Ekka blinked, she didn't know that, " _Oh_ ," she looked at Flutter, who was ignoring them and preening her wing. "What am I to do with her then?" She asked, keeping her voice a whisper as well.

He shrugged, "I dunno. But, be careful though. If it gets hurt, then it's on you. I don't think Mr. B will care today, but..." Ekka nodded, keeping Flutter close to her chest. She wouldn't _dare_ let anything happen to Flutter!

Ekka nodded solemnly, trying to hide Flutter as Mr. Byers started the class. Apparently, the class was for students to go outside and get more ' _active_ ', as Mr. Byers put it. Ekka didn't quite understand why they needed a class in order to tell children to get more exercise, but she didn't want to ask.

They hadn't done much either. All they did was run around and do a few stretches before it was time for lunch. The class was strange, but Ekka supposed, so was most things she saw in America.

~•~•~•~

"Yeah, Mr. B is always like that," Isaac spoke. He and Ekka were sitting in her room beside the large window, eating lunch.

"I do not understand the point of the class," Ekka frowned, and Isaac rose a curious eyebrow.

"P.E.?" Ekka nodded, "It's to make sure kids like us learn how to exercise correctly."

Flutter peeped in her lap, and Ekka ran her thumb over the bird, allowing her to snuggle into her palm, "Why do you need to _learn_ that?"

"So you can do it right when you get older," he shrugged, taking a bite out of his sandwich. "Can I see your schedule?" Ekka nodded, reaching over to her bag and pulled out the sheet of paper. Isaac looked over it, "... Where's your music class?"

"What?"

" _Music_. Every student gets a music class, or an art class, but you have _'Guidance Counseling'."_

"Oh," Ekka's eyes widened, "Will I be in trouble?" Isaac laughed and Ekka relaxed immediately. If Isaac wasn't scared or upset, then there was no reason for her to be.

"No, it's probably just a typo. Are you done?" Ekka looked down at the remains of her food, then nodded, "Good. Let's go ask the Professor, okay?" Ekka nodded again, placing Flutter on her shoulder as she stood.

~•~•~•~

Ekka and Isaac managed to find, and stop Charles Xavier in the halls of the school. " _Professor_!" Isaac called out. He had been speaking with someone, but stopped his wheelchair and turned to look their way.

"Hello Isaac and Ekka," Charles greeted. Ekka gave a shy smile, glancing over at who he was talking with. It was the same man that caught Flutter and stopped her in the halls. She couldn't quite place the name, but she remembered the annoyed, mean face he had given her.

The man caught Ekka's gaze and turned her way. Ekka jumped and looked down, not meeting his steely dark eyes, hiding behind Isaac. "... Want to know if it was a typo," Isaac said, handing Charles Ekka's schedule.

"Hm... No, this isn't a typo," Charles said, then turned to Ekka.

' _Would you like me to tell him about the consoling_?' Ekka frowned, but didn't reply, ' _That is what this is, however, I do not believe you would like me to tell Isaac about your time with your father.'_ Ekka gasped, grabbing Isaac by the hand, pulling him away.

Isaac gave her a funny look, "What's wrong, Ekka?"

"I–I remembered, uh, tha–that I am almost la–late for, uhm, for Mrs. Kenny will not be happy if–if I am late! And I can just ask Mr. Walker! Thank you, Mr. Xavier!" Ekka began pulling him away, Flutter gliding over to Isaac to peck at his cheek.

"Okay, sure, Ekka," Isaac said, making a strange face. "Thanks Professor."

"I am glad I could help," Charles replied and rolled away with the other man.

As Isaac walked Ekka to her next class, she couldn't help but breath a sigh. She wouldn't let Isaac know about the Circus. Ekka didn't want to lose another friend.

~•~•~•~

On Wednesday, Ekka had _Ability Control and Conduct_ for her extra class. She didn't really understand this class either, but for different reasons. The teacher was Ms. Nighthall. She was African-American with extremely curly hair that bounced whenever she walked. She was tall, but also very kind.

Ekka entered the classroom, quickly sitting in the back. The students in this class room differed from the ones in her Physical Education class. Ekka noticed this because Delilah and her friends entered the room not soon after Ekka had. She kept her head down in hopes to not get noticed, but Delilah did.

She yanked on Ekka's knotted hair, causing her to yelp in pain, her hands moving to cradle her hair. Delilah and her friends walked on, giggling at her. Ekka's tried not to care. Flutter gave the girls an angry chirp, but Ekka calmed her. She didn't care much, so she tried not to react. Besides, the last thing she needed was Flutter to try to poke their eyes out with her beak.

Ms. Nighthall addressed the room, "Good afternoon, everyone! I am your Ability Control and Conduct, or ACC, teacher! If you were here last year, you'll know what this class is for, however, for the ones who are new..." Ms. Nightfall waved a hand and a computer projector came to life, displaying a sheet of paper with a lot of words Ekka couldn't read.

"To remind you all, this class is not an excuse for you to be foolhardy," Ms. Nighthall spoke, a certain sternness to her tone. "It is for you to be able to practice your gifts under supervision in order to sharpen them to the best of your ability. If I see anyone misusing your gift in my class, you will be punished, and put on three months of cleaning duty. That is your one and only warning." Murmurs of surprise were scattered across the class, but nobody said anything to the woman. Ms. Nighthall smiled, "If no one has any objections or concerns, then let us go over the classroom rules!"

After the entire classroom had gone over, and reviewed the rules, Ms. Nighthall requested for everyone to give a small — emphasis on ' _small_ ' — demonstration of their abilities one at a time. For students like Andrea, she provided dirt out of her desk in order for her to model her geo-kinesis. Some students weren't in complete control of their abilities, but Ms. Nightfall explained that one of her other abilities, along with electro-kinesis was the ability to nullify other abilities. So, if someone's ability became out of hand, she could stop them before someone got hurt.

Finally, it was Ekka's turn. Ms. Nighthall turned to her, giving her a gleaming smile, "Okay, Ekka, give us an example of your gift." Ekka squirmed, feeling uncomfortable with everyone staring at her in anticipation.

"I... Uh," Ekka stammered, reaching for Flutter.

"You can speak with animals?" Ms. Nighthall asked patiently.

"N–No..." Ekka looked down. She didn't want to use her gift on Flutter. "I... Uh... I do not know..."

"Can you control animals?" Ms. Nighthall asked. Ekka gave a small nod, barely enough for her to notice. "Good! Can you give us an example?"

Ekka frantically shook her head, holding Flutter close to her chest. The bird gave a small chirp in slight surprise. "I–I do not wi–wish to hurt her..." Ekka mumbled.

"Oh, don't worry, Ekka," Ms. Nighthall smiled. "It's just a bird after all." Ekka stared at the woman, "It won't even know the difference, and you don't have to do too much. Make it jump, and that will be all."

"No, I do not want to hurt her," Ekka said softly, gently stroking Flutter with her thumb. She had began to get a bit restless and had been pecking at her fingers.

"I bet she doesn't even have any powers!" Delilah spoke up, making the rest of the class erupt in giggles. Ms. Nighthall forced the class to quiet down and scolded Delilah for speaking out of turn. Ms. Nighthall gave Ekka one last look as if silently asking her, but Ekka firmly shook her head. Sighing, Ms. Nighthall turned to the next student.

~•~•~•~

Ms. Nighthall asked Ekka to stay after at the end of the class, and she reluctantly agreed. Ekka nervously tapped her fingers against the desk waiting for Ms. Nighthall to reenter the room.

After the entire class had been dismissed, Ms. Nighthall returned. Ekka nervously sat straighter as Ms. Nighthall pulled a chair to the desk where Ekka sat. It was silent for a second before Ms. Nighthall spoke, "I hope you realize, Ekka, that the majority of your grade in my class is participation." Ekka gave a small nod, even though she did not know what 'participation' meant. "If you understand this, then you must understand when I say that if you don't give some sort of example of the control of your ability, or lack thereof, it will harm your grade." She gave a small pause, "Do you wish to _fail_ , Ekka?"

"N–No..."

"Then you _must_ participate in class," Ekka nodded. "If you show me an example of your gift now, then I will not reduce your grade for today, okay?"

"I cannot," Ekka replied, and the woman closed her eyes, and gave a small sigh before opening them and speaking again.

"Will it harm you to use your gift, Ekka?" Ekka shook her head, "Will it harm me, or anyone around you?" Again, she shook her head, "Will it harm your pet?"

"Flutter is not my _pet_ , she is my _friend_ ," Ekka corrected.

"You did not answer my question," Ekka looked down.

"N... No..."

"Then why can you not give me an example of your ability, Ekka?" Ekka looked away. She could remember how it felt when Father used to turn her mind against herself to hurt her. Ekka didn't want that to happen to Flutter, she didn't want her friend to experience what she did.

"I cannot," Ekka replied, failing at trying to sound confident. "I–I just _cannot_! I do not wish to hurt her!"

Ms. Nighthall gave Ekka a firm look, "Then, you will fail my class, Ekka." Ekka looked down, tears welling in her eyes. "Ekka, you seem like a really promising student, and I can see how much potential you have, but if you don't break this mindset now, it'll all go to waste." Ekka shook her head, she would be no better than Father if she used her ability!

"Don't cry, dear," the woman comforted her, taking her hand and rubbing it soothingly. Ekka nearly jumped, not used to such physical contact. The only time she was touched affectionately was with her lions and Flutter. Every other time, Father had been punishing her. "It's just a bird, they're minds are so small that they barely have the attention span of a minute. You could do whatever you want with it and it won't even notice."

Ekka stared, she could hear Father's words ringing in her head. " _They're just mindless cats! Stop crying and work! They won't even notice! Don't give me that look! If you don't get off your ass and do as I say, I'll make you cut your own hand off_!"

Tears grew in Ekka's eyes, and she tried to move away from the woman, "No, please, Father! Do not hurt them! I–I wi–will do it, but please! Do not—" her voice was choked with a sob. "Pl–Please—" Father reached for her, trying to pull her off the ground — when did she get on the ground? — with one hand, his whip in the other.

Ekka cried out, trying to scramble away, her entire body trembling. He was going to kill her! She disobeyed him and he was going to kill her like he killed Fira.

Fira's death raced before her eyes, Ekka remembered it in snapshots. Both of them had been crying, Fira stepping into the Lion's cage, seeing the lion tearing her arm nearly in half. Watching her slowly bleed out in Ekka's arms. Crying and begging her Father to fix it, to fix _her_.

The angrily stern look on Father's face as he forced his way into her mind and making her legs move on their own accord. Forcing Ekka to walk into the cage of starving lions so she could suffer the same fate as her friend.

' _Ekka? Where are you_?' Xavier spoke into her mind. ' _What's going on?'_ Ekka didn't have the mental capacity to answer. Father was beside her, yanking on her arm, bringing her into the cage.

"I–I–I apo–apologize! I—no! Pl–Please, d–do no–not—" Ekka wheezing tried to catch her breath, but it wasn't working. She could feel the sting of his whip slamming against her back, and she cried out, trembling on the ground. "St–Stop, I..."

' _Miss Ekka, I need you to calm down_ ,' Xavier spoke gently. ' _Listen to me. If you quiet down long enough to, you'll be able to hear the birds outside_.' Ekka sniffled, and tried to quiet her hiccups enough, but she was able to hear the faint sounds of birds chirping happily. ' _Can you hear it_?'

"... Pl–Please do no–not hurt m–me," Ekka whispered, breathing shallowly.

' _Nobody will harm you, Miss Ekka. You are not with your Father anymore. You are safe here_.'

"F... Fi–Fi– _Fira_ ," Ekka hiccuped.

' _She... Is okay. Do not worry about your friend_ ,' Ekka relaxed slightly. She could feel Father slowly fading away, and was now replaced with Charles in his wheelchair. Hank and Ms. Nighthall were behind him, standing patiently.

"Are you alright, Miss Ekka?" Ekka's eyes turned to his lap, where her blanket still rested on over his legs. On top of his blanket was Flutter, who cocked her head at her, and chirped. Flutter jumped out of his lap and glided to Ekka. Flutter poked Ekka in the cheek, and Ekka nearly laughed but it came out as a wheezed out a chuckle.

"Why don't you go to lunch, Miss Ekka," Xavier said. Hank gently helped her off the ground. Ekka held Flutter to her chest in one hand and wiped her face with the other. She sniffled, but nodded, following Hank as he escorted her out of the room, closing the door with Charles and Ms. Nighthall inside.

~•~•~•~

"What do you mean she isn't to use her gift in my class?" Ms. Nighthall demanded, "If her gift does not threaten the lives of those around her, then—"

"She is not _exactly_ thiriokinetic, if that is what you were believing," Xavier explained to the young teacher, his hands folded in his lap.

"What? But she told me that she could control animals," Ms. Nighthall frowned, "If that isn't her gift, then—"

"Ekka... Is a special case," Xavier explained, a hint of exasperation in his tone. "If she were to put her mind to it, she could have the potential to be an S-class mutant."

Ms. Nightfall's eyes bulged. She staggered back, gripping the end of the desk, as if moving away would keep the woman from the danger Ekka posed. " _S–S-class_!? The only S-class rated mutants are—"

"Myself and Magneto," Xavier finished, "I know. You have heard of the country Wakanda, yes?"

"Yes, although I do not know much about it," Ms. Nightfall replied, a small frown against her lips.

"There... Was a man that came from there, his name unknown, however, they call him, Mandla, which roughly means ' _Power_ '."

"What does this have to do with _Ekka_?"

"I am getting to that," Charles straightened in his seat. "Mandla was known for his ability to control animals, and make them do whatever he wished. He used this to terrorize the people there, collecting debts, taking women, and enslaving children. It was until rather recently that he finally disappeared, driven out of the country by an unknown vigilante there."

"Then what happened?" Ms. Nighthall asked, very interesting in this information.

"There have been little sightings of him all around the continent of Africa, and even less witnesses or victims of his chaos. The last time he had been spotted was in the Aswan area near Lake Nasser. There was a woman who was impregnated by him. Local military were able to track him down, but he escaped. They took the woman to a mental asylum in the area, but she ran away. She was found again in Turin, Italy three months later, giving birth to a child. She died in child birth, but was able to give the child to a local orphanage. After that, there was nothing left of the child, or the orphanage she gave the child to."

"What are you trying to say?" Ms. Nighthall spoke slowly, "That Ekka is the illegitimate daughter of a _terrorist?"_

"That is the running theory, their abilities are exceedingly similar. We haven't been able to get DNA tests, however, but judging on physical attributions and the similarity in their mutations, we are sixty-eight percent sure that she is."

"What does that have to do with her potentially becoming an S-ranked mutant? What exactly is her gift?"

"We have reason to believe that... Ekka has the ability to control the primal instinct in animals," Xavier sighed, "Along with thiriokinesis."

"' _Primal instinct_ '?" Ms. Nighthall questioned, "How so?"

"You were here for the Halloween party, yes?"

"Yes, I heard there was a disturbance," She replied, "However, I wasn't able to get there in time to nullify it."

"Ekka caused it. It was an accident, but she caused a student to attack another," Ms. Nighthall gaped, "The student that was attacking the other acted as if they were a rabid animal, and afterwards, had no memory of the event."

"And you believe Ekka did this?"

"As soon as she fled the room, he went back to normal." Ms. Nighthall began to pace back and forth, her lips pursed.

"Okay, so she caused one disturbance," Ms. Nighthall spoke, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "How does that make her into an S-class mutant?"

"I looked into her mind, she has a lot of undiscovered potential. If she tried, she could turn this entire school into mentally-rabid animals without ever breaking a sweat." Ms. Nighthall stared at the disabled man, "However, she does not know this yet. I am trying to get her into consoling so that she does not go down the path of destruction."

"Then, why put her in _my_ class?" Ms. Nighthall demanded, "If she's _that_ dangerous—"

"She is _not_ dangerous," Xavier cut her off promptly, "She simply has the _potential_ to be. Right now, she is merely a child, and she cannot change her background. I want her to be treated like one. Ekka is in your class to understand ability control. If she consents to it, I want her to be helping animals, not controlling them. And she is never to know about her potential or her background. I have already blurred the events that happened during the Halloween party for everyone, including the victims. All she knows is that she caused the attack, but not how. She doesn't know she has the ability and I want it to stay that way."

"Then what am I supposed to do with her?!" Ms. Nighthall sighed. "If she cannot practice her gift, or learn about the potential of it, then—?"

"That is for you to decide," Charles replied. "I would suggest having her talk with animals, or take more trips outdoors, those keep her calm. Watch out for bullying as well, other students have been giving her a harder time, despite the warnings I, along with several other teachers, have given."

Charles turned around in his wheelchair, heading towards the door, "I can trust you to do this." This was not a question, but an order that she had neither the power, nor the confidence to refuse.

"O... Of course, Professor," Ms. Nighthall responded, her mind reeling with the new intake of information. "I will try my best."

"Very well," Charles replied. "Have a good day, Ms. Nighthall."

"And to you as well, Professor," she responded, her lips tight in a smile.

Charles left the class room and Ms. Nighthall went back to her desk, burying her face in her hands. What had she gotten herself into?

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

 **New update brought to you buy:**

 **All the nice votes and comments from you guys, lol! Really though, thank you so much for the support! I love how much you guys love my smol bean of a character :3!**

 **Really though, I love Ekka so much, which is why this chapter had to be broken into two parts! Yes, there is more — still to be written — and it ties in with this one, so be on lookout for that!**

 **What do you guys think of Ekka's power? It's not exactly thiriokinesis, that's the ability to control animals in general, but really to control their minds and what they do.**

 **Also, _Mandla_ comes from the _isiXhosa_ language spoken in — correct me if I'm wrong — _South Africa_ , however, it's also spoken in _Wakanda_ as well. _Mandla_ is a name that means _power_ in that language, which I thought was pretty relevant.**

 **The class ranking thing is my idea, however it is based on the rankings for _Endbringers_ in the Wordpress series called _Worms_. It's a really awesome series, and if anyone gets the chance, look it up and read it. It long, but it's worth it.**

 **Before some of the hardcore X-Men movie fans come outta the cut saying, " _Wakanda is from Marvel, not X-Men, because Fox owns X-Men_!" You are right, however in the comics, Wakanda is very important to X-Men, in fact, Storm is from Wakanda — and I'm pretty sure she's Black Panther's waifu. Fox owns the movie rights, however the comics do belong to Marvel.**

 **(Now if only Fox would stop being so damn stubborn and give the rights to Marvel so they can stop shooting themselves in the foot with their shitty movies, then we would actually be able to do something that relates to the goddamn comic story line! And don't even get me started on Sony, omfg.)**

 **Sorry this is such a long authors note, I'll probably rant about that to my equally as geeky siblings, lol. Thanks again for the support and I hope you enjoyed the update!**

 **I'll see y'all next time, and remember...**

 **Don't melt~!**

 **\- Happyritas OOO**


	7. seis

**Chapter Six:**

Ekka felt uncomfortable. She sat in the soft, leathery seat with a woman in front of her. Glasses were balancing on the brim of her nose, they were rectangular and the frame a deep shade of purple. The woman was writing something down, she had been for quite a few moments, but finally, she looked up and smiled at her.

"Sorry for the wait, dear," She said finally. Ekka was slightly surprised when the woman spoke French, not English. "Had to finalize a few things."

"Oh..." Ekka murmured, shifting in her seat. Flutter was sleeping in her palms, so she didn't want to move too much.

"Okay, let's start off with the basics. How are you doing today?" She smiled, her sapphire blue eyes glowing with the curtains drawn open beside them.

"Uhm... _Good_?" Ekka replied, confused.

The woman chuckled, "That's good. I am Ms. Justine. What's your name?"

"They did not tell you my name...?" Ekka asked, surprised. She assumed that Charles would tell the woman everything she needed to know about her before actually meeting her. It made sense, but apparently that wasn't true.

"Yes, they did," Ms. Justine admitted. "But, I find it easier to introduce yourself to others whenever you get the chance, that way, it's much easier to make new friends."

"Oh, well, I–I am Ekka. And this is Flutter." Ekka said, motioned to the slumbering bird.

Ms. Justine smiled, "It's nice to meet both of you. Now, Ekka, you know why you're here?"

Ekka squirmed, looking down, "M–Mister Xavier said that you were a doctor but for your feelings?" Ekka said, but it came out more like a question.

Justine didn't mind and nodded, "Yes. That's very true. I'm what you would call a ' _therapist_ ', although some people call us ' _shrinks_ '. We help people who don't feel good, or people who want to talk about their feelings." Ekka nodded, but she was a little confused still. "So, for example, let's say you were really sad, and you bring yourself to be happy again. That's when you would come to people like me. You talk to me, tell me why you're sad, and I'll help you get happy again."

"But... I am not sad," Ekka said, confused. "Why would I be sad?"

"Maybe, because of what happened at the Circus?" Ekka stiffened, her eyes darting to the floor. "It's okay to talk to me, Ekka, I won't tell anyone — I'm not allowed."

"Yo–You are not allowed?"

"Yes," she said with a laugh, "I'm actually not allowed to talk to anyone about this. It's called _Doctor-Patient confidentiality_. It's like, whatever you say to me stays a secret, and since it's a secret, I can't tell anyone."

"Oh..." Ekka murmured, "S–So, I am allowed to talk about the Circus here?"

"Yes, you can tell me about anything."

"What if I... I do not want to talk?"

"I won't force anything out of you," the woman said and Ekka visibly relaxed. The woman wrote something down. "We could talk about something that's not personal. The Professor told me that you were fond of _Little Red Riding Hood_. Is that true?"

"I... Ye–Yeah... I dressed up as her for Halloween. I–I even made a basket, Vera told me that I should, since she has a wicker basket in the story."

"And who's Vera?"

"She is my..." Ekka trailed off, looking at the ground, " _Friend_." She finished, almost surprised with herself. She realized that he hadn't had a real friend since Fira. Would Vera leave Ekka like Fira had? What if she got hurt?

"What are you thinking about, Ekka?" Justine asked patiently.

"Vera... She... I was wondering if she would come back..." Ekka said slowly, her voice small.

"Why _wouldn't_ she?"

"I–I do not know. If something happened, I would never be able to see her again. She would be–be gone! Just like..." Ekka inhaled, stroking Flutter to calm herself down.

"Just like what, Ekka?"

"I..." Ekka could see Fira's body before her. He eyes glazed over, the blood pooled around both of them, staining both of their clothes. She could smell the acrid scent of blood and lion waste and it nearly made her sick. She was screaming, crying, begging Father to bring Fira back. She didn't want to be alone, alone was scary. Alone was dark, alone was... _Evil_.

"I d–do not wish to answer that..." Ekka murmured, squirming in her seat.

"That's okay," Justine assured, writing something else down. "Do you mind if we talk about the students in your classes?" Ekka shrugged, so Justine continued. "How are they like? Do you have any friends?"

"N–No," Ekka replied. "It is hard."

The woman gave her a sympathetic smile, "I understand. Making friends is hard, especially when there's something stopping you, like a language barrier."

"' _Language barrier_ '?" Ekka repeated confused.

"It's a term used when someone speaks one language and someone else speaks another. For example, you speak French, but all of your other classmates speak English. It makes communication hard for both sides." Ekka nodded, although she didn't quite understand. "Maybe you can try to talk to them, even if it's harder for you. You'll never know who can be you friend if you don't try." Ekka nodded again, and the woman wrote something else down.

"Miss Justine?" Ekka spoke up, and she looked up, smiling at her.

"Yes?"

"Do..." Ekka stopped, biting her lip. Justine didnt interrupt, allowing her to finish her thought at her own pace. "I was talking to Mister Xavier, and he said that Father was... Was not a good father. I–I do not understand why, though. Father fed us, he made us not sick... He gave us a home. I do not understand why Father would not be a good father."

"Ekka, has your Father ever hit you?"

"Well... Yes. But I–I was being punished so... Does that count? I was bad, so he... He taught me not to do it again..."

"Ekka, what happened to your pinkie?" Ekka froze, shakily looking down at the stub where her pinkie used to be.

"I... Was punished," Ekka said, her voice suddenly hollow. "It was my fault."

"How so?" Ekka closed her eyes, inhaling. "You don't have to answer if you don't feel comfortable doing so, Ekka." Ekka nodded, tears brimming her eyes but she quickly wiped them away.

"Anyways, what the Professor meant when he said your Father wasn't a good father was that father's aren't supposed to hit their children, Ekka. They aren't supposed to cut off their pinkie or whip them. They're not supposed to make them live in cages and force them to work in circuses. That's not good — it's not healthy. It's called _child abuse,_ and that's what he was doing to you and all the other children in the Circus."

Ekka sank into the armchair, not enjoying his conversation at all. "What's wrong, Ekka?"

"I–I..." Ekka sniffed, "He di–did so much... He ke–kept me _alive_ an–and... I..."

"Ekka, did you love your father?" Justine asked, and Ekka gave the woman a puzzled look.

"What?"

"Did you love him?"

"I–I do not understand."

"Did you care for your father? Do you want to go back to him?"

"I..." Ekka gulped, "I... Do not know... I..." Justine didn't speak, allowing Ekka to fill the silence. "I feel like... I have to. He–He did so much for all of us... I..." Ekka sniffed, rubbing the salty tears away. "I... Do not think I understand... _Love_... It is all so... So blurry now. I want to, but I cannot. I feel like I should, but... There is nothing left now. I... Do not think I will... Ever. I–I want to love him, or feel like I do, but... I do not think I can..."

"That's okay, Ekka," Justine smiled. "It's good you're talking about this, that's why I'm here. It's okay if you don't love him — it's okay if you don't like him. It's not okay to keep it all bottled up, though. If you ever need someone to talk to, Ekka, just call me, or talk to the Professor, if you're comfortable."

Ekka nodded, and Justine smiled at her, "It's okay if you don't understand love, a lot of people don't. Someday, someone will teach you though, and maybe you two can learn together, okay?" Ekka nodded and Justine smiled wide. "Well, that's the end of our session! You'll go to your next period now. Don't forget any of your stuff, okay?"

Ekka nodded, hurrying to grab her bag, also waking Flutter with the jolted movements. She angrily pecked Ekka's hand, making the girl apologetically laugh. She placed the bird on her shoulder, said her goodbyes to Justine and hurried out of the room.

~•~•~•~

Ekka hurried down the hall. She had been several minutes late to Mrs. Kenny's class, and didn't want to get in trouble.

She turned the corner and immediately bumped into another body. With a yelp, she fell to the floor, rubbing her side in pain. Thankfully, Flutter was able to stay airborne for a few seconds before landing on her chest. Ekka groaned, but looked up.

Mr. George was glaring down at her. She flinched, hurrying to get her belongings straight. " _No running,_ Miss Ekka," He chided her. She wanted to tell him that she hadn't been running, but held her tongue, "I'll see you in detention tonight." Ekka nodded quietly, picking up her books and placing Flutter on her shoulder before swiftly walking down the hall again.

~•~•~•~

Ekka sighed as she put away the last of the dishes, her arms tired, and eyes heavy. She was ready to sleep, but wasn't allowed to, at least until she finished her time here. Mr. George was sitting at the tables behind her, reading quietly.

Ekka dried her hands, and made her way towards the science teacher. "I have finished," she told him.

" _Good_ ," he stood, and looked down at the younger girl. She shied away from his gaze, "I don't like troublemakers, Miss Ekka. I expect that you follow the rules strictly for now on." Ekka nodded. "Nonverbal communication is rude."

"Y–Yes," she said, her voice small. Ekka didn't like being here, with him. He reminded her too much of Father. She half expected him to punish her. She half expected his whip to materialize in his hand. She could imagine him, screaming at her, striking her until she could barely move. She could feel the sting of it, searing into her back, and she closed her eyes, trying to stop the image in her mind and the tears that were brewing.

"... Are you listening to me, Ekka?" Ekka jumped, looking back at the teacher. "If you find me so boring that you'll fall asleep while I am speaking, then maybe having detention for the rest of the week would keep you awake."

"I—"

"You _what_?"

Ekka shrank back, her eyes glued to the floor. Mr. George smirked, "Go to your room. I expect you'll be in my class on time tomorrow."

"Y–Yes, Mr. George..." Ekka murmured, about to scurry off, but Mr. George seized her arm.

"Speak clearly," he snapped. Ekka could feel her heart pounding, his grip was so tight, she felt like her arm would come off. Father held his whip in the other, screaming at her, spittle flying out of his mouth.

Tears grew in her eyes, "I–I am so–sorry," she gasped, "Pl–Please—"

Mr. George's eyes narrowed, "Go straight to bed." Ekka didn't have to be told twice. As soon as she made it to her room, she set Flutter down and cried.

~•~•~•~

Ekka wasn't able to sleep that night at all. As soon as the sun rose, she sluggishly got ready for class. Belatedly, she remembered that Mr. George gave her detention, so she was to help clean the dishes after breakfast. With a groan, she set Flutter on her shoulder and made her way to breakfast.

~•~•~•~

Ekka slumped against the tree, sighing. She was extremely grateful for the free period, allowing her to get out of her classes. Due to her lack of sleep the night before, she nearly fell asleep in Mr. George's class, causing him to yell at her, and then he forced her to stand for the rest of the period.

Ekka closed her eyes, she disliked this school, for several reasons, but at the same time, she had nowhere else to go. If she were to leave, would Father be able to find her? Would Xavier? She wondered why Xavier brought her here. How had he even been able to find her in the Circus? Did someone tell him what Father was doing? Was he simply visiting and noticed?

Ekka thought back to the day when Father made her make Frais and the others walk across the tightrope. She didn't remember a man in a wheelchair in the crowd — then again, she never liked looking at the crowd anyway, and avoided it whenever she had the chance.

Flutter poked her beak in Ekka's arm, dragging her attention away from her thoughts. "Yes, Flutter?" Flutter flapped her wings, jumping in her palm. "You want to practice flying?" Flutter jumped again, dragging out a tweet. Ekka contemplated it. She was tired, but Flutter needed to be able to practice flying in order to regain strength in her wings, so it would be for the best. "Well... I suppose. It is a nice day too." Ekka smiled at the bird and stood up.

"Three... Two... One, go," Ekka gently tossed Flutter in the air. The bird frantically flapped her wings for several seconds, the breeze allowing her to fly a few feet as she slowly glided towards the ground. Ekka was able to catch her before she hit the ground. "Again?" The bird tweeted, and again, Ekka tossed the bird in the air, higher this time.

Ekka repeated the process over and over, watching as Flutter slowly made progress. She was able to stay in the air longer, and even gain a little bit of air underneath her wings in order to push her further. Ekka smiled, proud of her small friend.

"Okay, one more," Ekka said, slightly winded. It was nearing the end of their free period, and Ekka was getting tired. Although the exercise was good for both of them, she didn't quite like having to do it — and so soon after P.E. Class.

"Ready?" Flutter tweeted and Ekka tossed her again. Flutter surprisingly made it quite far, her wings flapping hard. Ekka chased after her, ready to catch her. The soil under her foot turned and Ekka let out a yelp as her foot twisted, and she fell face first into the dirt.

Ekka groaned, trying to get up, but pain seared in her foot. Tears grew in her eyes, and she hissed, grabbing her throbbing ankle. She heard giggling and frantic tweeting and then looked up. Delilah and her three friends were in front of her, and her their hands, was Flutter. Delilah held her by the wings, a coy smirk present on her pink glossed lips.

" _No_!" Ekka cried out, " _Stop_!"

"Stop crying, _baby_ ," Delilah rolled her eyes. "We're not going to hurt your little bird — in fact, we're going to _help_ you." Ekka tried to get up, but her leg flared in pain, as she gasped, clenching her teeth. "All you have to do is make the bird do something, and we'll let it go."

"Le–Leave her, _please_!" Ekka cried.

"Not until you make it do something," Delilah said, ticking her tongue. "You should feel grateful. I heard the Professor saying that if you didn't show a sign of having abilities, then he was going to kick you out of the school!" Ekka's eyes went wide as she stared at her in shock. He would make her leave...? He'd allow Father to find her and take her away?

"C'mon Ekka, just do it!" Samantha egged, and the others joined in.

"Make it do something!"

"Make it fly!"

"Make it sing, Ekka! Move its wings!"

"If you _don't_ ," Delilah started, "I'll just pluck out it's feathers one by one." Ekka began sobbing, pressing her face in her arms. She couldn't do it. She couldn't hurt them!

Flutter tweeted in pain as Delilah's painted nails yanked out one of her feathers. Ekka felt it too, and cried harder. "Just do it, Ekka," Delilah pressed, pulling another. Flutter screamed in pain again, her wings beating sharply in order to get out of the girl's grasp.

" _Make it sing,"_ Father growled, and Ekka flinched, curling in on herself. " _Go! Make it sing_!" He struck the lion with his whip and both the lion and Ekka cried out in pain. He whipped the lion again and Ekka fell, the feeling of their pain overwhelming.

Delilah pulled another feather and Ekka cried out, her body jolting. "Just do it!" Fath—Delilah egged. "Make the bird sing!"

He whipped the lion again, and Ekka felt the force of the punishment sear into her skin. She screamed, convulsing on the ground. "Stop it!" She screamed, " _Stop_!! It _hurts_! _Stop_!" Ekka couldn't stop screaming. She could feel Father whipping her as she curled on the ground again and again and again. She could feel the wounds bite into her skin, ripping open her flesh, warm blood trickling down her back.

Andrea growled, pouncing on Samantha, clawing at her body. Samantha hissed at Andrea, biting into her collarbone, causing Andrea to snap back in pain, falling off the girl. This allowed Kendra use her newly extended claws and tear at Andrea's face. Samantha turned to Delilah who hissed, baring her sharp fang-like teeth. Samantha attacked, yanking Delilah's hair as Delilah chomped down on her arm, biting into flesh.

They continued to attack one another, sometimes being left alone long enough to switch targets. Birds nearby hunted down a squirrel, fighting frenziedly over it's corpse. A group of field mice began to devour a baby deer, going in through every entry to tear it inside out. The entire woods area was in chaos.

Ekka was still shaking, trying to control what was and what wasn't reality. She could still feel Father beating her, this time he threw away the whip and was physically hitting her. She sobbed, trying to cover her head, only to have him stomp on her hands.

Then, everything stopped. Ekka was still trembling on the ground, but everything around her — from the students fighting to the breeze in the air — froze. Ekka gasped, not looking up from the grassy floor, her limbs still hadn't stopped shaking.

"Pl–Pl–Please, F–Father," Ekka managed to beg. He was going to kill her. He was going to kill her. He was going to kill her. He was going to make her kill herself. She was going to die.

"Shh..." Xavier whispered, "It's okay, Ekka. He can't hurt you anymore."

"It–It–It h–hu–hurts," she hiccuped. "Pl–Pl–Please, do–do n–not—"

"He's not here anymore, Ekka," Xavier reminded. "He can't hurt you. You're safe here — we took you away, remember? We made sure you were safe." Ekka didn't say a word for several minutes, but her breathing was still ragged. He moved his wheelchair closer and Ekka whimpered, curling tighter. "I'm not going to hurt you."

"Pl–Please," Ekka gasped, "Ma–Make it st–stop!"

Xavier was silent for a moment, "I'm afraid I can't wipe those memories," he whispered. "I'm sorry." Ekka let out another choked sob. Xavier tried to get closer, but Ekka gasped, covering her head and moving farther into herself. Xavier could feel her power creeping into his mind, it was so subliminal that he almost didn't recognize it. He was slowly getting agitated, angry for no reason. He had the sudden urge to _hurt_ someone.

Xavier shook his head, banishing her power. "Ekka, I'm not going to hurt you. Please, let me help." Xavier used his power to slowly ease her mind, keeping her from thinking about anything other than peaceful things, eliminating the chaos around her. Slowly, Ekka began to relax, her breathing evening. Several minutes later, Ekka wasn't shaking, or making any noise.

Xavier approached, the wheels of his chair creaking against the forest floor. Ekka flinched, but looked at him, she sniffed, rubbing her nose, "Are you alright?"

"I–I am sorry..." Ekka whispered.

"Why?

"I..." Ekka looked at the frozen state of the four girls. Her eyes were wide with fear, "I... Look what I _did_..." Ekka said, tearing up.

"You didn't mean to, it wasn't your fault," Xavier tried to reason. Ekka was looking around her, at all the animals that fought with one another, teeth bared, blood flying. She was controlling them, Ekka realized, just like Father. _She was just like Father._

"You aren't like your father, Ekka," Charles assured her. "None of this was intentional, it's not your fault." Ekka couldn't help herself as she began to cry again. Charles came to her, stroking her hair as she sobbed in his lap.

~•~•~•~

Ekka laid underneath the covers on the floor in her room. She heard knocking at the door again, but didn't move. "Miss Ekka?" It was Xavier again. She whimpered, sinking deeper in her covers. "Miss Ekka, it's been three days." She didn't move. "I don't think it's healthy for you to stay in your room for this long. Can I please talk to you?"

Ekka shook her head. She didn't want to hurt him, "You won't, Miss Ekka, I promise." Ekka heard faint tweeting, and flinched, "Flutter is here too, I believe she is as anxious to see you as I am, maybe more." Ekka didn't reply, and she tried hard not to think too, but was distracted when the door knob rattled. "I'm coming in, Miss Ekka."

Ekka hid immediately, it was futile, and she little to nowhere to run, so she curled into her covers, her head covered and entire body burritoed.

She heard the door close and the sound of wheels against the wood floor. "Miss Ekka, I know you're scared," Xavier said. "Your power... Is difficult to understand, even for me."

Ekka sniffed, "Why... Am I like this?" She asked, her voice hardly audible.

"I cannot tell you why," Xavier admitted.

"I–I made them..." Her voice choked, "I made them hurt themselves... Li–Like Father. I am just like him. I–I do not want to be like him! I want him to be _gone_!" She was tearing up again. "Why!? Why do I keep doing this!?"

Xavier was silent for a moment, "Miss Ekka, you aren't your father. You didn't mean to hurt them—"

"But I _did_ ," Ekka interrupted. "I _hurt_ them! Every time I think I have escaped him, he is _always_ there! He will _never_ leave me alone!" Ekka was hysterical at this point, panic increasing with the volume of her voice.

"It wasn't your fault," Xavier pressed, "Those girls _pushed you_ to that point."

"I should have taken it," Ekka muttered darkly. "I should have not done anything. Just like Father when I get punished. If I had done nothing, then they would not be hurt. Flutter would not be hurt."

"Ekka, you can't take all this blame — it was not your fault."

"Who _else_ is to be at fault then?!" Ekka snapped, moving her blankets to glare at him. Her eyes were dark, her hair mangled due to lack of care. Bags were hanging underneath her eyes, and tear tracks dried on her cheeks. For the first time since Xavier met her, she looked angry; _furious_. She looked _guilty_. "Who was the one who caused this girls to turn on each other!? Who was the one who refused to use her gift!? Who is to blame, Mister Xavier?" At Xavier's silence, Ekka sank back into the protection of her blankets. "It is _me_ ," She whispered to no one in particular. " _I_ have became Father."

It was no wonder really, her similarities to her Father were scarily coinciding. Both of them were able to take control of people and cause great fear with it. Maybe, her time at the Circus wasn't imprisonment, but him teaching her to be like him. Teaching her to be cruel, hateful, and evil. Is that why she could hear him in her head all the time? Yelling at her — _screaming_ at her? When will he stop? Will he _ever_ stop? Was Ekka doomed to live with his memory burned into her mind for the rest of her days?

"Miss Ekka, calm down," Xavier chided, "You are not your father, despite what you think."

"How do you _know_...?" Ekka whispered bitterly.

"Because I have seen your mind, and I have seen his. You are kind and gentle, while he is full of rage and terror. That kindness in you is overwhelming and warm, Miss Ekka. I do not believe you have it in you to become your father — in fact, to me, you are nearly the exact opposite!" Ekka was able to laugh a little at that, making the professor smile.

"Come along, Miss Ekka, you have several days of classes that you have missed," Ekka hung her head, remembering that she hadn't attended class in a little over three days. "However, I will help you with that. Right now, let's go on a walk." Ekka nodded, emerging from her protective blanket-burrito and coming to his side.

Xavier leaned over to her, planting a kiss on her forehead. Suddenly, Ekka's mind was drawn at a blank. Why was she upset again? It took her a few moments to remember. She was playing with Flutter and Delilah tried to hurt Flutter, causing Ekka to feel the pain as well. Ekka blinked as Xavier wasted no time in rolling out the door. She could feel the pain animals felt and was spooked about it, but she was fine now. Everything was okay, and Xavier would protect her.

With a smile on her face, she walked beside Xavier as he rolled his wheelchair. She was _never_ to leave his school.

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

 **Yay! Finished the second part to this! What do you guys think? I thought it was due to put more insight into Ekka's power, so here ya go!**

 **Also, I have a new story coming out soon, it'll be a Alice In Wonderland/Avengers story. I've seen the several renditions of this kind of story done on this Wattpad, and I didn't like it — the characters were out of place, it doesn't quite fit with what the original story was, etc etc. It's the little things that bug me.**

 **So, I've decided — after a hell of a lot of research and planning — to do my own! I think it'll be pretty interesting, and I'll post the usual character outline and stuff for it all at the same time, so if you want to see that, keep an eye out!**

 **I'll see y'all next time, and remember...**

 **Don't melt~!**

 **~ Happyritas OOO**


	8. sept

**Chapter Seven:**

 _Ekka fell to the ground, her face burning. Father's shadow stood over her. Tears streamed steadily down her face, as she tried to stand again. Father seemed to notice and yanked her to her feet with her hair. Ekka cried out, her throat coarse from screaming as she brought her hands to his, tried desperately to alleviate the pain._

 _The lions roared behind her, despite being whipped into submission. Blood matted their golden coats, and a few laid on the ground, still, their hearts still-beating._

 _"Do it, Ekka!" Father growled, his tone fierce. "Do it,_ now _!"_

 _"I cannot!" Ekka sobbed, "Please, Father, I--I cannot, I can--" Father yanked her hand away from her head, shoving a knife in it. Ekka stared at the weapon, feeling Father slither into her mind. She screamed at the sensation, thrashing in his hold, but he was relentless._

 _He made her hold out her hand, and she began to press it into her hand. Blood began to well up from the knife. The pain was unbearable, Ekka's eyes rolled into her head. For a fleeting second, she was able to enjoy darkness, the peaceful sincerity of it pressing into her, keeping her surroundings quiet. For a moment, Ekka felt no pain._

 _Then, Father yanked her out of the security of fainting, thrusting her into reality. He used his power to keep her conscious. "Do it," he growled, making her push harder. Ekka was screaming again, unable to focus on anything. God, her hand. There was so much blood. So much blood._

 _Father hit her again, and Ekka whimpered. "You have one more chance," he hissed into her ear. She could feel even more warm blood trickling out of it. She wanted to throw up, but she didn't allow herself to. If she didn't obey Father, he'd kill her. He'd kill one of her lions. Just as he had killed Fira._

 _Ekka called her ability, shuddering as she felt the lion's minds. They were angry, aggravated. They wanted to last out against the ones hurting them. Some even laid on the ground, close to death. She took a sharp breath, and commanded them._

Stop _." The lions halted. Like puppets, they simply stopped moving. Ekka stared at them, shocked. Her hand dropped the knife and flew to her mouth._

 _She felt Father pat her head, as if she were the pet. "Good." Ekka felt sick. She fell to her knees, and vomited. Blood and bile mixed with the yellow grass, her throat burning._

 _Suddenly, one of the lions collapsed, wheezing on the ground. Ekka looked up sharply. "It's not breathing!!" Someone shouted, coming to the animal's side._

 _"Stop it, Ekka! Take away the command!" Ekka stared at the fallen lion in shock. Slowly, the others began to follow._

 _One by one, the lions fell. All because Ekka told them to stop. To stop breathing, to stop_ living _._

 _"I told you to take back the command!" Father screamed at her. His shoes made contact with her face and she fell, her eyes burning with tears._

 _"I killed them...!" Ekka sobbed deliriously. "I killed them, I--!" She felt sick again. "I am sorry! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to, I..." Ekka buried her face in her hands. "I didn't mean to, please! I didn't mean to!!"_

 _"Then you'll learn," Father growled, "Next time, do as you are told." Father turned, leaving Ekka to cry into the grass._

~•~•~•~

Ekka woke up, shaking. Charles was in her room, holding her hand. Ekka scrambled back, surprised. "I--"

"You were having a nightmare," Xavier explained calmly. "You woke the entire hall. I came to check on you. Are you alright, Miss Ekka?"

"I..." She closed her eyes and drew in a breath. Flutter tweeted, jumping in her lap. "I apologize, I did not mean--"

"It's alright. It's alright. You didn't know, are you okay, Miss Ekka?" Xavier's face was strangely serious, and Ekka looked back down, unable to look at him. He reminded her of Father, as strange as it was.

"I am okay, I--" the door opened and Hank McCoy walked in.

"They've stopped, is she--?" He stopped talking when he noticed that she was awake. " _Oh_."

"I've just managed to wake her," Xavier said, rubbing at his forehead.

"Did... I do something wrong...?" Ekka asked, confused.

"No, no, you are not at fault," Charles assured, and for some reason, Hank gave him a hard look. "Go back to sleep, if you can. I'll see you in the morning. Goodnight, Miss Ekka." Xavier wheeled out of the room, Hank briskly following, his shoulders tense.

The door sharply closed, and Ekka jumped a bit from it. Flutter laid still in her lap, already managing to fall fast asleep. Hesitantly, Ekka decided to follow the small bird's example.

~•~•~•~

"She's getting _stronger_ ," Hank McCoy snapped at Charles Xavier. Charles was leaning against the desk, his head held exhaustingly in his hands. "Don't tell me she hasn't because I can tell. She's wearing on you, her powers are getting stronger -- either that, or you're getting weaker, which _isn't_ true. You can barely be around her while she's having these fits, Charles. We need to do something about her."

"Like _what_?" Charles said, raising his pounding head to narrow his eyes at his friend. "If you are going to offer locking her away, then stop yourself there because we are _not_ doing that. I refuse to put her away like she's some kind of _animal_!" Charles wanted to glare, but his temples throbbed from the notion, and he winced instead.

"This is the fifth incident this _month_ , Charles!" Hank snapped angrily. "You can't keep doing this, it's not healthy for her _or_ you! Eventually, she's going to notice that her memory is the equivalent to _swiss cheese_!"

"What do you want me to do?!" Xavier hissed, "We are low on options, this is the only one we have."

"There has to be some way Lwazi kept her from using it," McCoy muttered.

"Have you been able to find him yet?" Charles asked.

Hank sighed, leaning back and crossing his arms over his chest. "No, he's been off the radar ever since the Circus closed down."

"Then we will just have to learn with it," Xavier spoke firmly. "There is nothing we can do about it."

"We've been lucky for now, Xavier, but what happens later, hmm?! What happens if she takes control of someone more powerful, like _Logan_? What are we going to _do_?!"

"She is a _child_!" Charles snapped, "She _will_ be treated like one until she grows old enough to take responsibility for her actions!"

"And how long will that be, Charles?!" Hank retorted. "You cannot keep her here _forever_! She will learn the truth, and it will be bad enough that you can't simply wipe it away! If someone gets seriously hurt because of her--"

"Then we'll treat them. This school is to keep mutants like Ekka _safe_ , Hank. She doesn't know any better, and I am willing to give her a second chance."

"How _many_ second chances, Charles?" Hank spat, "Because, I feel like you are blurring the lines between a mutant and a _monster_." Hank and Charles stared at each other for a long moment, letting Hank's words dangle in the air as if it had been hanging from a fishing line.

"Leave, Hank," Charles growled.

Hank did, but wavered at the door for a second, "Are you really willing to threaten the lives of every single student in this school, in exchange for one, Charles? Would you really risk that?"

Xavier pushed a button on his wheelchair, opening the door for Hank. Hank took his cue, letting himself out easily, and closed the door behind him sharply.

~•~•~•~

As the day grew ever longer, and nights ever shorter, the school year was standing on it's last legs. It got very warm and the last few animals came from their hibernations. Several students took full pleasure in this, hanging around the lake, a few of the younger ones chasing butterflies.

Sometimes, Ekka would go out, only to let Flutter fly about, and take advantage of the warm weather. She was flying very well now, and hadn't left Ekka quite yet. Otherwise, she'd stay inside, working on her studies, or sitting alone. All she could think about was what happened with Flutter and Delilah. If Delilah was still going to be mean to her, Ekka didn't want go put anyone else at risk. Flutter was still recovering from having those feathers pulled out of her wings.

Ekka frowned, feeling sick at the thought of it. She felt like a bother, sometimes. She was a terrible student -- according to Mr. George -- she sometimes had nightmares that would make her wake her entire hall, and she would always cause a mess.

Mrs. Justine was upset with her because she wasn't talking much in their meetings anymore. She wanted to talk about her nightmares, and Ekka knew she wanted to help, but whenever she thought of them, she could feel Father looming over her shoulder, as if ready to punish her if she said one bad thing. She didn't want to be punished anymore. She knew she talked to Mr. Xavier about it, but... Ekka still couldn't help it.

So, Ekka began to keep more to herself. She spent more days in her room, and simply opened the window when Flutter wanted to fly. Vera would sometimes visit her, but she also was too caught up in studying. Vera explained that in order for Vera to go to a school in order to get a job, she needed to go to college, and in order to do that, Vera had to write a lot of essays and get a lot of fake money called ' _scholarships_ '.

This confused Ekka a lot, but Vera explained how she really needed it -- she was going to be the first in her entire family to actually go to this college, so she had to. So, because of Vera's college, Ekka and Flutter's afternoons were very boring.

One day, Ekka was sitting beside her window, simply staring outside, when someone knocked on her door. "Come in," Ekka said, believing it was Vera. However, she was pleasantly surprised when Jean walked in instead.

Ekka sat up, "Miss Jean?" Ekka asked, believing she was in trouble, "Did I do something wrong?"

"Ha, no," Jean laughed, "I just thought I'd swing by. I heard you've been having a lot of nightmares lately... Do you wanna talk about it?"

"I, uh..." Ekka looked down, not wanting to be rude.

"It's okay if you don't," Jean added, noticing Ekka's hesitancy. Jean moved, bringing Ekka's desk chair to her window, since Ekka had already been occupying the window sitting space. "How have you been?" Jean asked, coolly, looking outside longingly.

"Well," Ekka replied softly. "Where is Mr. Isaac? I have not seen him in a long time..."

"He had to end school early and go home," Jean explained. "He only does school for a certain amount of time, then he has to go home and work for his family. He's a good guy..." Ekka nodded, and they both fell into a comfortable silence.

Soon, the time had come and Ekka's free period had ended. She said good bye to Jean and headed out to class.

The next day, Jean came back, greeting Ekka and sitting in her room, looking out her window. Jean did this again and again, until it had became routine. Usually they were silent, but sometimes they talked. Jean would tell her stories, or help her with a part of her homework or classwork that she didn't understand.

One day, Ekka decided to go outside. It was looking nice, albeit a bit on the chilly a side, but good enough for Ekka.

She went to the forest and sat down there, allowing herself to breathe in the spring air, smiling. This was good -- this was _fun_! Ekka didn't know why she had stopped, now that she thought about it. She _loved it_ here!

Ekka heard a loud growl and turned sharply, but found nothing. Confused, she followed the noise as it howled again, and came across three male students all older than herself. In their hands was a small brown bundle and it was whining, Ekka felt it's sorrow, calling for it's mother.

A few yards away was the mother, a big, brown bear. She was entangled by tree limbs, holding her far away from the baby. The mother was angry -- furious, even. She raged, swiping a clawed paw at the tree, trying to get to her child.

"Hurry up, Damien," One of them muttered. His hands were outstretched, as if holding the thicket of tree branches are taking a physical toll on him.

"Almost got it!" The one holding the baby bear, Damien, said. He was trying to shove him in his backpack, but the bear was struggling against the boy.

"Wha--What are you doing?" Ekka asked, cautiously stepping out of the trees. All three students jumped, surprised by the sound of Ekka's voice, but relaxed immediately.

"Go inside," the third boy ordered, his gaze harsh. "This doesn't involve you."

"The baby, you are going to hurt him," Ekka said. "Please, le--let him go."

The boy rolled his eyes, "Get out of here. Now."

"Please, I--" the boy thrust his hand towards Ekka, and instantly a blast of what felt like wind hit her straight in the chest. Ekka let out a short gasp before falling on the ground. Her head collided with the root of a tree, and instantly, she began to see stars.

"Hey, Kyle! You didn't have to be that hard, she's a little kid," Ekka groaned, listening to the boy holding the trees, but the boy who pushed her, Kyle, didn't respond. Ekka tried to stand, taking sharp breathes.

"Get her back down," Kyle ordered, and the boy holding the tree moved his hand, wrapping a tight piece of root around her. Ekka struggled, but couldn't get out of it.

"Got him!" Damien announced, and the bear roared, as the baby disappeared in the boy's backpack. With an angry swipe, the mother broke free of the branches and charged them. Ekka froze, trying to reach out to the bear, but anger and concern was flooding it's mind.

The boy who controlled the trees tried to pull the bear back again, but she swatted at it, keeping it away from her. Kyle shot the bear with another blast of air, but the bear stood its ground. It roared, getting so close that Ekka could smell the scent of long-past dead animals its breath.

It rose on it's hind legs, it's teeth bared. The Damien turned to run, but the other two were rooted in fear. Ekka reacted, sending out a single command before she had the chance to even think about it. "Stop!" She screamed, just as the bear was mere inches from hitting one of the boys. It froze, and suddenly began to tilt back, unable to support it's own weight. Ekka stared in horror, tears welling her eyes.

Ekka tried to reach out to her, but she couldn't. There was nothing for her to reach out to. The mother hear was gone because Ekka had killed her.

Ekka could hear the baby whining from,the bag, probably afraid, probably terrified. The boys were staring at Ekka, who had,gone completely silent. "L... Let's get out of here..." One of them muttered. They dropped the bag with the baby bear and began to run. Ekka didn't chase them. She did, however, move to the bag, and opened it. She let the baby bear out, and tossed the empty backpack away.

The baby crawled out, cooing quietly. Ekka could sense his confusion and fear. Ekka closed her eyes, sniffing. He wanted his mother, and it was Ekka's fault. "I am sorry," Ekka sobbed, allowing the baby to cry over his mother. "I am so sorry."

~•~•~•~

"Miss Ekka, you can't keep it," Xavier said calmly. "It's a wild animal, it has to go back." Ekka didn't look at him. She kept her attention on Brownie, the baby bear, who was exploring the edges of her bedroom.

"He has nowhere else to go," Ekka murmured. "I cannot put him back, Mister Xavier, I ki..." Ekka couldn't finish the sentence. She simply rubbed Flutter, who was sleeping in her hands.

"I understand what happened, but Miss Ekka, there are other students you have to think about. It's still a baby, you won't know what to do. It's best to give him to animal control and allow them to deal with this."

"He is my fault," Ekka explained, "I did this, so he is my responsibility now."

"You didn't do anything, Miss Ekka. Those boys you were talking about, they are the ones who tried to steal a baby bear. You were trying to stop them."

"And I killed his mother," Ekka replied. "If I hadn't then she would be alive, Mister Xavier. It is my fault she is dead. So, I will watch after Brownie." Ekka stood, resting Flutter on her pillow as she picked up the baby bear, taking him away from the closet. "I will watch him," she repeated, softly.

Xavier was silent for a moment, before sighing. "If anything happens, go to Mr. McCoy. If you are going to take care of him, then you may, until he is of age to live on his own. Then, he must go back. And, if I see -- or hear -- that the bear is disrupting your studies, then he must go back. Period."

Ekka nodded, feeling a sense of relief, "Thank you, Mister Xavier! I promise I will do good!"

Xavier smiled, chuckling, "Let's hope so..."

~•~•~•~

"You let her keep a brown bear?!" Hank snapped in Xavier's office. "An actual brown bear? Are you... Really, Charles!?"

"She's thiriokinetic. She'll keep it in check," Xavier replied easily. "Besides, it would give her responsibility, and a sense of trust. And, I believe the connect to an animal like the bear will rehabilitate her."

"A bear, Charles. You let her have a bear."

"I've already established the rules for the bear. She knows the responsibility that comes with it."

"Okay, okay, fine," Hank relinquished, rubbing the bridge between his nose. "Fine, whatever. As long as you take it to get shots."

"It's already been done." Xavier replied. "She didn't like it, necessarily, but she agreed. Have you found Lwazi yet?" Hank visibly cringed at the news, looking away. "Hank?"

"About that..." Hank muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. Charles steeled his self for bad news. "I've received news that he was recently spotted in... Southern Georgia."

"Southern Georgia?" Xavier repeated, and Hank nodded.

"He's coming for her, Charles. He know where we are. It's only a matter of time."

"He won't. If he knows that I'm here he'll know that he's too weak-minded to go against me."

Hank gave Xavier a small nod, "If you believe that, I suppose I do too..."

~•~•~•~

Ekka stared out the window. Brownie was sleeping soundly on her bed, and Flutter was beside him. The two had gotten along finely, which surprised Ekka a bit. He had teased Flutter at first, and did occasionally, but after a sharp poking in several sensitive places he learned to respect her.

Ekka heard a knocking at the door, and turned, "Come in," she called. Jean stepped through, noticing how she was staring out the window, and gave a small sigh.

"Ekka, don't you want to play with the other kids?" Jean asked as she entered the room.

"No thank you," she said softly, not taking her eyes away from the children who had been taking advantage of the sunny day, and was playing loudly.

"Why not? It's a nice day outside."

"... They do not like them.."

"Don't like who?"

Ekka glanced at Brownie and Flutter, remembering how the other students reacted after seeing them. How Delilah had tried to use Flutter against her, and the other students screamed when they saw Brownie. It made her sad, and she didn't want them to hurt either of them. "My friends. They are... Scared of them."


	9. huit

**Chapter Eight:**

Ekka sat silently, stroking Brownie while he slept on her lap. It was very early, and the birds chirped wildly outside.

Ekka looked to the clock beside her bed, **6:30 AM**. She would need to get up if she wanted to be in class on time.

Ekka slowly rose from her bed, her eyes half-lidded as she slowly moved Brownie off her. At a snail's pace, Ekka went to her closet and pulled out her uniform.

Ekka hadn't been able to sleep properly in weeks. She had been having nightmare after nightmare about her Father. Every time she closed her eyes, she'd be forced to see him, and he would torture her. Ekka had gave up, and refused to sleep. She decided it was better that way. Xavier hadn't had to wake her because she woke her entire hall from her nightmares during this time. He also seemed very exhausted whenever he saw her before, but recently he had seemed fine.

Ekka showered and exited her room, Brownie and Flutter had awaken, but did not follow her to class.

Ekka did not go to breakfast because she had homework to finish from the night before that was due that morning. By the time she finished, class had started. Ekka watched aimlessly as Mr. George drones on about the water cycle. Ekka forced herself to stay awake. Last time Ekka fell asleep in her class, she was forced to stand and finish the lesson they were learning. This didn't work well -- obviously -- because Ekka couldn't read and the lesson plan that he gave her just looked like scribbles.

"Miss Ekka?" Mr. George said, "So you mind telling us what comes after condensation?"

Ekka blinked, realizing that she had zoned out again. "Uh..."

"Maybe you cannot because you were not paying attention?" He accused and Ekka sank in her seat. "I thought so. I'll see you after dinner for detention." Ekka gave a shaky nod, and sighed. She managed not to fall asleep, or zone out until her next class, which happened to be Ability Control and Conduct.

Lately, they have been going over the major abilities that people frequently have. For example, thiriokinesis is very common for kids who live or had lived in rural areas or around wild animals for a long time.

Ms. Nighthall explained that a mutation isn't really a mutation, but sometimes an _adaptation_. People who have the ability to mutate do it in environment that would help them survive.

Ekka didn't hear much else after that because she fell asleep, but immediately regretted it because she dreamed if Father whipping her.

Ekka sat straight up, shaking in her seat. She moved so fast that her chair tilted and she fell headfirst on the floor.

Ekka let out a groan, rubbing her tender head from the impact. The class however, laughed at her, and Ms. Nighthall frowned. "That is what happens when you don't keep the feet of your chair on the ground, Ekka. Would you like to stand instead?"

"N--N--No tha--thank you," Ekka stammered, getting back up quickly.

"You weirdo, Ekka," Delilah hissed behind her. "You're so clumsy."

"S--Sorry..." Ekka murmured, sitting back in her chair, trying to listen to the lesson.

~•~•~•~

"Today is my last day before I go to college," Vera told her. They were both sitting at her window, watching the kids play outside.

"I do not want you to leave..." Ekka murmured, and Vera smiled softly. She wrapped an arm around Ekka and drew her close. Ekka's initial reaction was to get away. Her instincts told her that whenever Father brought her close like this, was when he was extremely angry. He was going to beat her for not performing well.

But, then Ekka shook the thoughts away. This was Vera and Vera was nice. Vera liked her and she liked Vera. Vera wouldn't hurt her. Vera wouldn't hurt her. She was safe with Vera.

"I'm gonna miss you, kid," she murmured. "Don't do anything stupid while I'm gone, okay?"

"Ye--Yes, Vera. I will not..."

"And make sure you eat your vegetables, and go outside at least a few times a week. If you don't, you'll end up pale, and white. Which is considerably impressive because you're the blackest person I have seen. Anyways, go outside, you hermit."

Ekka laughed at Vera's strange commands, "Okay, Vera." Then, the bell rang, signalling the end of Ekka's free period.

Vera gave Ekka a strong hug, "Man, I'm really gonna miss you, kiddo," she murmured.

"Me too..." Ekka sniffed, feeling the urge to cry.

"Oh! I have a present for you!" Vera remembered. "I'll give it to you after dinner. Go to class, or else you'll be late." Ekka nodded and Vera smiled, ruffling her hair. "I love you, Ekka."

Ekka stopped moving, turning to Vera. "You do?"

"Course I do," Vera smiled. "You're like a little sister to me."

Ekka felt her lip quiver and she tried to hold back the tears. No one ever loved her before. She didn't know what to do. "I... I lo--love you too, V--Vera," she stammered.

Vera laughed getting up. "I should get to class too." Ekka nodded, remembering she had her own classes to go to, and scurried out of the room.

~•~•~•~

Ekka silently washed the dishes as Mr. George stood behind her. She left Flutter and Brownie upstairs, she didn't need them making a mess after she cleaned. Besides, Mr. George would just complain. He did not like Brownie.

"Hurry up," he snapped behind her. "I don't want to be here all night."

"Y... Yes, Mr. George," she nurmured, holding back a yawn and tried to finish her last few dishes faster. Ten minutes later, she had finally done. Her arms were tired and her fingers prunes from the water. She dried her hands and turned to go upstairs, but Mr. George caught her shoulser.

"I expect you not to be sleeping in my classes anymore, Miss Ekka," Mr. George said sternly. Ekka shied away, trying to move get shoulder, but his grip only tightened. "I don't like troublemakers in my class and you have been a nuisance all year. This, Ekka, is the last straw. I'm speaking to the Professor tomorrow morning and I am getting you sent back home. If you don't know how to act properly, then you shouldn't be here."

Ekka frowned, he couldn't send her back home. She didn't have a home to go to. Unless... Did he know about the Circus? Mr. George was going to send her back to _Father_?!

"You cannot send me home!" Ekka cried. "I cannot go back home! _Please_!" Tears sprung in her eyes at the thought of having to go back to her father and the punishment he'd surely give her for being away for so long. "Please, I will be good! You cannot send me back!"

"I have already decided," he frowned at her, eyebrow twitching. "Now go to bed. Pack your things, you will be gone tomorrow."

"No!" Ekka sobbed. "I cannot go back to him! He will surely kill me! Please, Mr. George, you cannot send me away!!"

"I said _go to bed!"_ He snapped, agitated. "Now _move_!"

"No!" Ekka yanked on his arm, "No, please!! Please let me stay! I will be good!!"

"Get off of me!" Mr. George snapped and struck her across the face. Ekka fell to the floor, holding her cheek and crying. He growled, "I said go to bed! Go!!" He let out an animalistic growl, eyes full of anger.

"Do not send me away! Let me stay, please!!" Ekka blubbered. "Please, let me stay, I--I will be good, I--"

" _Ekka_?" A familiar voice called at the other end of the lunchroom. "There you are. I was looking all over for you! We need to go upstairs!"

"Please do not send me away," Ekka sobbed, "Please, I am sorry! Please do not let him get me!!"

"Ekka? It's me, Vera. Why are you crying, are you okay?" Vera asked, coming to Ekka. Then, she turned to Mr. George. "What did you do to her?" Mr. George didn't respond, he simply growled, glaring at Vera. She glared back, grabbing Ekka's arm. "We're leaving, come on."

When Vera touched her arm, Ekka let out a strangled scream, scrambling away, "I do not want to leave! Please! Let me stay here! Please! Do make me go!! Leave me! Go away!!"

"Ekka, get up," Vera said. "What are you talking about? I'm not--" then, Vera screamed. Mr. George had jumped on her, fangs and claws outstretched. Vera thrashed, trying to get Me. George off her, but he slashed his claws at her face, his teeth going for her neck. With a swift movement, Mr. George tore out a chunk of Vera's flesh and she went completely limp.

The scent of blood quickly infested the air. Mr. George was growling, tearing at Vera's body. Eating out her still-beating heart. Ekka stared at Vera, or what was left of her. Blood pooled around her, staining Vera's clothing. Vera's eyes were staring at the ceiling, the terror still expressed in them.

"V... Ve--Vera...?" Ekka said slowly, coming to her. Mr. George glared at Ekka when she came close, "Stop, please. Vera?!" Mr. George halted over Vera's body and a minute later, he tilted over, just as still as Vera was.

Ekka pushed the hair out of Vera's face, lip quiver, "Vera?! Please!! I am sorry!" She sobbed. "I am so sorry, _please_!" Ekka began to scream and sob. The echoing of her screams filled the manor, filling the minds of over half the students in the school.

~•~•~•~

Xavier flew down the halls in his wheelchair, Hank right behind him. As he went, he forcefully sent the students who tried to attack him unconscious. "What happened?!" Xavier asked furiously, working as fast as he could.

"It must be her," Hank replied, bringing a student down with a swift pressure point. "She's the only one powerful enough--"

"I _know_ that!!" Xavier snapped. "I want to know what caused it!"

"Calm down," Hank scolded, "It's her influence. If you get too agitated, you'll become just as bad as them."

"I know," Xavier said with a sigh. "We need to secure her. I feel the most influence coming from the lunchroom, she must be in there."

"How do you plan on calming her down?" Hank asked.

"I'm too weak to," Xavier admitted. "I've been having Jean looking over her these past few months, hopefully she will be able to withstand her power."

"And if she _can't_?" Hank asked grimly.

Xavier was silent for a moment, "I don't know. We'll get there later. I'm signalling Jean, don't go anywhere."

"Got it." Hank replied, putting down another student.

' _Jean_!' Xavier spoke mentally, ' _Jean can you hear me?'_

"Loud and clear," Jean replied from her room. Her voice was shaky and quiet. "Did... Did I cause this?"

' _No, no, this wasn't you_ ,' Xavier assured. 'Where are you?'

"My room," Xavier thought for a moment. Her room was three halls and a staircase away from the lunchroom. She was closer than them to Ekka. "What's going on? Are we under attack?!"

' _We're not under attack. There was an incident with one of the students. I need you to go to the lunchroom_ ,' Xavier instructed.

"The lunchroom?" She repeated, a bit confused.

' _Yes. Do you know how to set someone unconscious without harming them_?'

"Uhm... No? Why would I need that?" Jean sounded nervous and she wrapped her arms around her body. "Are--Are you sure we aren't under attack?"

 _'I swear we aren't_ ,' Xavier said seriously. ' _Setting someone unconscious is like turning a light switch in between off and on, then leaving it there. That's what I need you to do. The students are going to attack you, and if they do. I need you to set them unconcious. Not conscious, but definitely not dead. Do you think you can manage that?'_

"Yeah... I think so..." Jean frowned, slipping a pair of slippers on.

 _'If anyone tries to attack you, that is what you need to do, okay Jean?'_

"Yeah," Jean gulped. "Okay, I got this. Not conscious, but not dead. Not conscious, but not dead." Jean opened her door.

~•~•~•~

Jean felt awfully bad for every student she forced into unconsciousness. However, she learned to get past it when they lashed at her, unnaturally long teeth and claws bared and shining. Although she had a few scuffles with a few animalistic students, Jean managed to look past it, and make her way to the lunchroom.

The first thing Jean noticed was the smell. The lunchroom was soaked in the metallic scent of blood. The fact that it smelt that bad meant there had to be a lot of it, and unfortunately, Jean was right.

The second thing Jean noticed was the sobs. They were uneven and hiccupped frequently.They sound like it belonged to a child and when Jean moved into the lunchroom door, she was right.

Ekka was on the floor, sobbing messily over a body, a girl, by the length of her hair. Beside her was the still form of one of the teachers, Mr. George. Blood was pooled around the dead girl, coming from her neck, chest, and mauled face. It took Jean a second to identify the body, but then she recognized the red highlights in the hair.

Vera was laying on the ground, and Ekka was crying over the body. Her hands flew to her mouth, covering a gasp. " _Ekka_?" The girl snapped her head up when she heard her name. She was covered in blood, which hadn't been her own. Her cheek that was scarred from her ear to her lip was bruised and swollen. Her eyes were red, and puffy from tears, and she somehow looked exaushted because of it.

Ekka looked absolutely terrified, and began to cry again, speaking French in a gibberish language.

' _Calm her down,'_ Xavier spoke into her mind. ' _Then, everything will go back to normal_.' Jean nodded, understanding his orders.

"Ekka. It's me, Jean, remember?" Jean took a step forward, but Ekka scrambled back.

" _Je ne voulais pas_ (I did not mean to)! _Je ne voulais pas! Je ne voulais pas!!_ " Ekka repeated over and over again.

"Ekka, I need you to calm down, _please_ ," Jean spoke softly, trying to mentally send calming telepathic waves to her. It did not work, Ekka's mind was in chaos.

" _Ne me renvoie pas à Père! Je suis désolé! Ne m'envoyez pas à lui_ (Do not send me back to Father! I am sorry! Do not send me to him)!" Ekka sobbed.

"Ekka, I don't--I _can't_ understand you right now," Jean sighed.

" _Tue-moi! Tue moi s'il te plait_ (Kill me! Kill me, please)!!"

Jean heard Xavier grunt in her mind, ' _You're making it worse. I need you to talk to her, get her mind off of them_.'

"Okay, uhm, Ekka, can you look at me?" Jean asked, simultaneously sending subliminal messages in her mind for Ekka to look at her.

Ekka turned, still crying, and looking at Jean as if she were going to strike her at any second. Slowly, Jean moved, and sat on the ground, out of sight from both bodies. "How's Brownie doing? Is he getting along with Flutter?" Ekka stared at her, confused, and terrified. "I think it would look great it we out an outfit on him! He'd look so cute, wouldn't he?"

' _It's working. She's calming down_ ,' Charles informed.

"I am _absolutely_ _positive_ that they would both look adorable if we put Flutter and Brownie in matching outfits," Jean continued. Slowly, she used her telekinesis to edge herself forward on the floor. " _Oh_! What if Flutter wore a bridal dress and Brownie wore a tux! Or, it could be something silly, like if we turned their clothes into a jar of peanut butter and jelly and then made a fort so it would be a peanut butter and jelly sandwich!"

Ekka looked at her confused, then at the bodies on the floor. Her lip started to quiver again. "Hey, hey, hey, have you played the game _Pictionary_?" Jean blurted, and Ekka slowly drew her eyes back at her. "Yeah Pictionary. Uh, basically there are two teams and you both draw picture and whoever guesses correctly wins!" Jean laughed, hoping for a reaction from Ekka.

"You know, Isaac is a great artist?" Jean continued. "He used to draw all the time. I think he even showed me a picture of when he drew you."

"He..." Ekka rasped, her voice sore from screaming and sobbing. "He dr--drew me...?"

"Yeah. He _loved_ drawing you!" Jean grinned. "I'll ask him if he had any pictures of you, okay?" Ekka gave a slight nod, and Jean smiled. "Hey, when's your birthday? I bet you he'll draw you a huge one for your birthday.

"I do--do not have a bi--birthday..." Ekka murmured, with near silence.

"You don't have a _birthday_?" Ekka sank back, holding back embarrassed tears. " _That's okay_! That's perfectly fine! We'll make you one! It'll be a _huge_ party. Everyone will come, and Isaac will make you a huge picture, you'll love it!"

Ekka smiled, it was small, and almost unnoticeable, but it was there. "Re--Really?"

"Yes, really. And, I bet, your cake will be huge too! And you can choose the decorations on it!"

"Wh--What if Fl--Flutter and B--B--Brownie were on it?" Ekka asked, "Can... Can we have that?"

"We can have whatever you want, Ekka," Jean smiled. "It's _your_ birthday."

"Who else will come?" Ekka asked curiously. "Can you only have two people at a birthday?"

"No, no, you can have anyone at your birthday," Jean grinned. "Everyone can come!" Jean was almost in arms length of Ekka.

"Everyone?" Jean nodded, "Wi--Will there be enough food?"

"Plenty," Jean promised. She spread her arms out, inviting a hug, and Ekka slowly came to her.

"I--I think I am g--going to like m--my birthday," Ekka sniffed, coming to Jean.

"I will make sure you do." Then, Ekka fell into her, hugging and crying. Jean rubbed her back comfortingly, and trying to make sure Ekka didn't look at the bodies.

Jean felt Xavier and Hank in the hall. Xavier focused on Ekka and suddenly, Ekka fainted in her arms.

Both men visibly relaxed, and Xavier came close to her. "Thank you, Jean," Charles said. "We couldn't have done this without you."

"Happy to help," Jean replied, trying not to show her discomfort at the two bodies. "What are you going to do with her?"

"Keep her away," Hank replied and Xavier scowled. "Charles, look at what she's _done_! This has gone too far!"

"We're not locking her up!" Charles snapped, "She's a child!"

"What else _is_ there?!" Hank demanded. "Mutant or not, this has gone on too far."

Xavier sighed, rubbing his forehead. " _Professor_?" Jean spoke, and the man turned to her. "You could keep her away, but just bring the school _to_ her. Like, give her a tutor, that way she still learns. And, we could still see her, and talk. She could keep Brownie and Flutter too."

Xavier frowned, "I don't want to cage her away as if she were nothing more than an unwanted animal," He explained. "I don't want her to see me as her Father."

"Charles," Hank sighed, "I understand that. But, at this point, we need to act. There is two people dead, and who knows how many injured. We need to stop this, before it gets worse. What if she took over the entire school, and not half? What if Logan was under her influence? This could have been a _slaughter_ , Charles."

"I know, I know," Xavier sighed, looking at Ekka resting unpeacefully in Jean's arms. "Fine. We'll do it."

~•~•~•~

Ekka hadn't slept in weeks. She simply stared at the wall, sitting on her bed. Brownie and Flutter sat beside her, Flutter occasionally poking her cheek, and Brownie sucking her fingers.

"Miss Ekka?" Xavier's voice filtered through her cage. Ekka flinched, but did not move. "Miss Ekka, please eat. You will get sick if you don't." Ekka still hadn't said anything. "Well, your teacher is absent again today, so I will help you in Maths. Will you get your workbook? We will be going over fractions."

"Please, Mister Xavier," Ekka murmured for the first time in weeks. Xavier sat straighter. "Let me die, Mister Xavier. _Please_ , just let me die."

"I... I am sorry, Ekka," Xavier sighed, "But I can't do that." Ekka began to cry, softly sobbing to herself, but Xavier did not reply. "... Going... Back to fractions..."

~•~•~•~

Flutter died. Ekka stared at her cold body in her hands, her lip quivering. Tears slipped down her cheeks, landing on the bird, but she did not magically wake up.

"Good morning, Miss Ekka," Xavier said, coming down the hall in his wheelchair to her cell. "How are you?"

"Flutter is dead," Ekka murmured. Brownie moaned, clinging to her arm. "She died. I killed her. She's--"

"You didn't kill her," Xavier assured. "She died naturally."

"I _killed_ her," Ekka insisted. "I killed _Flutter_! I killed _Vera_! I killed _Mr. George_! I killed _Fira_! I _killed_ them! I am a _monster_!!" Ekka began to sob, setting Flutter's body away from her.

"You are _not_ a monster, Ekka," Xavier said softly. "Your powers are too hard for you to control. We will help you, Miss Ekka, don't worry."

"If I am not a monster," Ekka sniffed, "Then why do you lock me up like one?"

"I wish I did not have to," Charles admitted. "I wish I could let you go right now. But, it is too dangerous, Miss Ekka. We need to find a way to help you control your powers. Then, you can go."

"If you want me to control my powers," Ekka spoke softly. "Then, you should kill me."

Xavier was silent, then he rubbed his face, and sighed. "Ekka... You are not a monster."

"Please, Mister Xavier!" Ekka begged. "Why do you make me suffer here!? Was I bad? I did not mean to do anything wrong! I apologize! I am sorry, Mister Xavier. I am!"

"Miss Ekka, you did no wrong. It is not your fault. It is your ability. I... I am trying to find a way to help you. You don't have to die, Miss Ekka. Just, trust me, alright?"

"I..." Ekka looked down at Flutter's body. "I... I just..."

"Nobody else will die, Miss Ekka. I will not allow it," Charles promised.

"Okay... Mister Xavier..." Ekka sniffed. Brownie sniffed Flutter and let out a moan. She did not believe Xavier. Ekka had her fair share of liars, and knew Xavier was lying to her.

But, if he thought that she was doing better, then he would let her go. And once she was able to leave, she would never come back to this school.

So, Ekka sat straighter, and wiped her tears. "Yes, Mister Xavier," Ekka lied. "... I trust you."


	10. neuf

**Chapter Nine:**

"Ekka?" Xavier's voice filtered through the speaker, "It is nearly noon, have you eaten?"

"Yes, Mister Xavier," she responded automatically. Ekka hadn't; she fed the food to Brownie, who ate both his breakfast and hers.

"Then, are you ready to go over your History?" Xavier asked.

"Yes, Mister Xavier." She reach over to her bookcase and pulled out the history book. Xavier began to read aloud, but Ekka wasn't listening. Tears blurred her pages, but she didn't say a word.

The rest of the lesson went by easily. Once she was done, Ekka went back to her bed. Brownie curled up beside her. Xavier would give her another ten minutes before he came back for her next subject -- which was math. After that, she would get dinner and be left alone for the night.

However, today, Xavier didn't leave. He day there, staring at her. Ekka noticed and sat up, "Di--Did I do something wrong?" Ekka asked, scared.

"You did nothing," Xavier sighed. "I'm sorry it has to be this way, Ekka," Xavier said, and Ekka frowned.

"I know," she replied. He told her this nearly every other day.

"I mean it," Xavier said. "I am going to fix this. I'll find a way, Ekka. This I'd just temporary."

"Yes, Mister Xavier," Ekka murmured, and Xavier sighed, but rolled out of the hall.

The next day, Xavier seemed very happy when he spoke. He smiled more, trying to be more optimistic. He acted like this at the beginning of her confinement, but recently began to be more sober. Now, he was happy again.

Before he left for his last lesson, Ekka was far too curious to not ask, so she did. "Why are you happy, Mister Xavier?" Xavier froze for a moment, as if surprised she said something other than 'yes, Mister Xavier'.

However, Xavier smiled anyway, "Do you want to go outside tonight, Ekka?"

Ekka stared, as if shocked. She hadn't been outside her cell for months now. Ekka didn't realize it, but she had missed being outside, more than anything else. She missed the grass between her toes and the wind that riled her messy hair. She missed the cold that pricked her skin or the sun that warmed it.

Ekka didn't even know what day it was.

"I can go outside?!" Ekka gasped. Brownie raised his head, this was the most emotion Ekka had shown in months.

"Yes, but it'll have to be at night," Xavier said. Tears filled her eyes, and she covered her mouth.

"Really?"

"Yes," Xavier smiled. "We'll go tomorrow night if you get ready." Ekka smiled, wider than she had in months.

"Okay!"

~•~•~•~

The next day Ekka was very energetic in her studies. She asked questions, gave comments to what he said. She even ate, but only a little because Brownie was very hungry.

That night, when it was nearly one AM, Xavier returned. He wore a heavy jacket and had her blanket over his legs. He pressed a few buttons on the wall and suddenly, a door opened near the wall.

Ekka pulled on a sweater and shook Brownie awake. Then, she raced out of the room, walking beside Xavier. "Now, you have to be very quiet, alright?" Ekka nodded, taking his instructions with serious precision. "Good. Come along," Ekka giggled, and walked quickly.

True to his word, Xavier brought her outside. Ekka shivered in the autumn cold, but she felt free. She felt the fish in the pond, and the birds in the trees. She heard the crickets and grasshoppers emerging from their homes to buzz and full the night air.

Ekka felt tears fall down her cheeks, and she laughed. She ran around, giggling and cry. Brownie ran behind her, as excited as she was. He moaned in delight. The two of them rolled in the grass, giggling and crying. She missed this -- she loved this.

Flutter would have loved this too, She thought. She would be buzzing around her head, tweeting excitedly. And Vera, she would love weather like this. Her favourite season was fall. She loved how the leaves changed colours and the brisk air chilled her lungs.

Ekka sniffed, she missed Vera. She was gonna go to college, and be smart. She had a life ahead of her, and--

"Miss Ekka, if you are going to start crying then we are will have to go back inside," Xavier told her. Ekka sniffed again, rubbing at her cheeks.

"I am sorry," Ekka murmured. "But, can we stay? I just for a little more?"

Xavier sighed, his eyes softening. "Fine. But only for a little more." Ekka smiled, and once again, she and Brownie were playing again.

~•~•~•~

Although that had been the first time Xavier let her outside, it certainly wasn't the last. Every other night, he came, let her and Brownie play in the darkness for an hour or so before having to go back to bed. This daily occurence of being able to play lifted Ekka's spirits. She wasn't as sad. In fact, she began to look forward to being outside, to being with Mister Xavier.

Sometimes, if she was very good that day, Xavier would bring a frisbee, and she and Brownie played with it for nearly an hour. Then, she would go back inside, go to sleep, and wait until they could go outside again.

This went on for a few weeks, unless Xavier said it was far too cold to go out for the night. If that happened, they'd play inside. He played board games with her, and taught her chess.

However, one night when they were outside, playing, Mr. McCoy came out too. Ekka was mid-throw with a frisbee, but stopped and stared at him. Mr. McCoy was furious. His cheeks flushed from the cold and his anger. His eyes narrowed, darting back and forth from Ekka to Xavier, as if progressively getting angrier.

"Why is she out here?!" He demanded, pointing to Ekka, who shrank away. Brownie came to her side, and she ran her fingers through his fur.

"It's important for her to do something physical," Xavier said simply.

"Charles, she--" he inhaled, glancing around. Then, he spoke lower. "Charles, _Lwazi_ is here."

"What?" Charles stared at the man. "He's--" Charles looked at Ekka, then at Hank. "Are you positive?"

"He's in the school, Xavier. I didn't know... God. We need to hide her."

"What is going on?" Ekka asked, scared. "Who is Lwazi?"

"Come on, Miss Ekka," Xavier said, holding a hand out to her, but Ekka didn't take it.

"Who is Lwazi?" She asked again, scared.

"Ekka, we need to go inside, now," Hank said, seriously. He looked scared, and it made her scared.

Brownie moaned, pawing her hip, standing on his hind legs. "No," Ekka said, shaking. She didn't want to go back to her cell. What if Xavier never let her out again? "No, I do not--"

"Miss Ekka--" Ekka didn't listen. She turned and ran.

~•~•~•~

Ekka got quite far before she stopped and had to breathe. She heard Xavier yelling behind her, but ignored it. Brownie raced beside her, happy to be actually running for once and not just bouncing around.

Ekka had to stop, leaning against a tree to catch her breath. She didn't know how she was going to get out of the school. Did she want to get out of the school? Xavier protected her. He always would protect her. She should just stay here forever. Forever. For--

Ekka groaned gripping her skull. That wasn't what she wanted. She never knew what she wanted. She was always being told to do things! She wanted to leave. She needed to leave. She needed to leave and come back because why would she leave? Xavier wouldn't let her leave? He would keep her here. There was no escaping a man who could pick apart your mind. She was safe here. She was wanted here. She was needed here. She--

Ekka screamed. She literally screamed. She was going insane. This wasn't her! She wasn't thinking this! He... Xavier was controlling her. He was doing the same thing Father did. He was just like Father. He was just like Father.

"Ekka!" This voice calling from the dark woods was different. It was taunting, and young. "Ekka~!" She didn't know where it was coming from. She didn't know who it was.

Then, a hand wrapped around her wrist, and turned her around. Ekka nearly fainted by who she was glaring down at her. "Did you really think you'd be able to get far from me?" Father growled.

"No! Please, Father!" Ekka cried out, new tears staining her cheeks, but Father wasn't hearing it.

"You remember the last time you tried to run?" He snatched her other hand with the missing pinky finger and showed her. "Apparently, you just don't learn, do you?" Brownie growled, but was easily silenced when Father kicked him away. Ekka gasped, but Father hit her, directing her attention back to him.

Father dragged her to a nearby tree, then and held her hand down. Then, he put the knife in her other hand. The blade gleamed dangerously in the moonlight and Ekka couldn't help the sobs escaping her throat.

"Please, Father," Ekka begged, trembling. "Please!" Father snaked into her mind and Ekka felt sick immediately. "Please!" She screamed, trying to move her hand as the other raised against it. "Please, Father! Please! Have mercy! Do not--!" It was too late. The knife was so sharp that it cut through her skin easily, it for wedged between the bone, but Father helped for that. He pushed it down and soon, her finger was detached from her hand.

Ekka screamed, her legs turning to jelly as she fell to the ground. She screams were choked with done that racked her entire body, but Father wasn't done.

"Get up!" He hissed, and Ekka tried to crawl away. "Get up!"

Ekka shook her head, "No more, Father, please! I am sorry, I will come home. Please, no more!" Father bared his teeth, making his way back in her head. Then, he forced her to put her bleeding hand on the ground. Without hesitation, he stamped on it, his steel-toe boot crushing her bones. Ekka felt faint with the pain of it, her eyes rolling back in her head, but Father took her by the shoulders and shook her, keeping hee awake.

"That's enough!" Xavier snapped, Hank following him. "Get away from her, Delilah."

Father laughed, dragging Ekka up off the ground, "Why should I?" He taunted. His voice was high again. Ekka realized that it was Delilah's voice, the one that was in the woods. She hadn't recognized it because she hadn't seen or heard the girl in so long.

"Mister Xavier, this--" Father hit her and she stopped talking immediately.

"You will be expelled," Xavier said coldly. "For several assualts on a student. I have already rang your parents. It's over. Let go of her."

Brownie got up and growled at Father. Xavier realized that the bear was looking above Delilah's head to something, or someone much taller. His eyes widened and at the time of his realization, Lwazi dropped the act, pulling out a gun and pointing it at Ekka's head. His face was shifting, as if Xavier couldn't focus on it, so he focused on his dark eyes, that were full of rage.

"We can settle this, Lwazi," Xavier spoke in calm tones. "Leave Ekka out of this. She is just a child."

"No, no, because you don't realize what you're doing to her," Father growled. Ekka had ran out of tears to spare at this point. "You're giving her hope, Charles. You don't think I had to deal with her mutation every day for the year since she developed it? The only way to keep it neutralizes is to keep her neutralized. You want to know how that is?" Father raised Ekka up, and slammed the butt of his gun in between her shoulder and collarbone.

Ekka cried out, pain exploding in the area, then slumping against Father, trying to breathe. Xavier flinched and Hank seemed to grow steadily angry, glaring intensely at Father. "It's the only way. When she feels small, her mutation feels small. You just have to nudge her in the right direction. And besides," Father chuckled, shaking Ekka by her shirt. Ekka's head lollied. The only thing keeping her conscious was Father in her head. "It's such a good stress reliever."

"There's no reason to result to violence for any solution," Xavier glared. "Leave her alone, Lwazi."

"I don't think you're listening to me, Professor," Father narrowed his eyes. "I know how to keep her in check. I can take her off your hands. Just turn a blind eye this one time, and you won't have this problem. I mean, you've already gone through the trouble of wiping the entire school's memory of her and her little 'tantrum'. People have been killed, Professor. So, how about you let me have my lovely little Ekka, and I won't utter a word to the press about how the Charles Xavier, advocate for all Mutant kind, has been covering up the deaths of what, eight? Nine people? What will they say about you then, Professor? What will they say about your school?"

Xavier glared at the man, "They won't say anything. And neither will you. You won't lay another hand on Ekka."

"And why's that?"

Xavier glared, "Because, I--" He didn't finish. A snake rose from the ground, and bit him in the leg. Father cried out, dropping his gun. Then, birds came out of their nests and descended on the man. Their sharp beaks pecked out his eyes, clawed at his face and tore out his tongue. Brownie came behind them, his claws, although not quite sharp as they should be, mauling in body and teeth tearing out his throat.

Xavier watched in quiet horror as the man was practically eaten alive by animals.

Once he was finally dead and face no longer recognizable, Ekka slowly leaned over and picked up his gun. She cocked it and pointed it at her own head. "Ekka! Wait!" Xavier said, eyes wide.

"I cannot live like this anymore, Mister Xavier," Ekka said softly. "I cannot do it."

"Ekka, please, wait, we can talk about this, out the gun down," Xavier said slowly.

"I cannot do this anymore," Ekka repeated, tremblings. "I cannot. I--"

"Okay, okay, I understand, Ekka. We'll solve this. We'll figure this out," Xavier said, trying to be calm. "But we can't do anything if you are dead, Ekka. Please, put the gun down."

"I killed nine people--"

"I know."

"I killed Vera and Flutter and Mr. George and--"

"I know, Ekka, I know."

"I cannot, Mister Xavier. I am sorry, but I cannot."

"Ekka, please. We can still save you. We can still help you."

"Are you going to hurt me like Father did?"

"What?" Xavier frowned, "No, never. We'll find some other way. Lwazi, your Father, was wrong. That isn't the only way to help you, Ekka. We'll find another. We will, I promise. Trust me, Ekka."

Ekka stared at him and Hank who both looked very scared and worried. "No." Ekka tried to pull the trigger, but failed. Her finger didn't move. Her entire body didn't move. Ekka stared at her hands as they slowly put the gun back on the grass and then pushed it away.

Then, Ekka looked at Xavier who was concentrating very hard on her. He also looked sad, and Ekka didn't know what to do.

Ekka cried. She was right, all that time ago, when she thought Father would never leave her life. It was Mr. George, then Delilah and her friends and now him. Now it was Xavier. He was her new Father.

"You are no better than Father," Ekka told him before Xavier forced her into unconciousness.

 **[END OF BOOK ONE]**

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

 **YES! YES! YES! I FINALLY finished this book! Woohoo! Finally! Hahahah! Suck on that, kiddies!**

 **Okay, had to get that out. But yes, this is the end of book one of the Fading Series (do you like that? I think it has a nice ring to it :3!) I don't know when I'll start the next one. Let's say September, if I'm not backed up on stories. Lemme take a break from Ekka and relax lol.**

 **I'm low-key sorry for the emotional rollercoaster that was this chapter -- this whole book, actually -- but, not really lol.**

 **Since Father is dead, and I have given a few people hints, I'll answer the question: what does Father look like?**

 **The answer: If you haven't noticed Father was able to be disguised as Delilah for several months without anyone noticing. That's because his power isn't so much as mind control as it is mental perception. The question 'what does Father look like' is kind of a trick question because Ekka has never described what he looked like. She only describes him with 'dark features' because that was the main thing that stuck out. Father changed her -- and everyone else's -- perception of his face so much that they didn't know. How can you track a man who can change his face?**

 **Man, I've given this story so much thought lmao. I'm so pumped for the next book!**

 **However, this is where I'll unfortunately have to end it, guys. I'll see y'all in the next book, and remember...**

 **Don't melt~!**

 **\- Happyritas OOO**


	11. erreur

The dark-skinned woman approached the resting large man hesitantly, but squared her shoulders as she got close. "Sir?"

"What is it?" The man growled, annoyed by her intrusion.

"It is about your brother, sir," she said. "There has been word that he has been murdered."

"'Murdered'?" The African man rose an eyebrow. "Of course that fool was. Who did it?"

"Nothing is certain yet, but we have reason to believe it was Professor Charles Xavier," the woman explained. The man's eyes narrowed dangerously, his fist clenching. "That is all, sir."

"Then be gone," he growled, standing up.

"Yes, Master Mandla," the woman said, then exited his room. Mandla stood, anger boiling in his eyes. It was time he payed a visit to America.


End file.
